UK Parliament — House of Commons

Save as provided in this order, government business shall have precedence at every sitting.

Twenty days shall be allotted in each session for proceedings on opposition business, seventeen of which shall be at the disposal of the Leader of the Opposition and three of which shall be at the disposal of the leader of the second largest opposition party; and matters selected on those days shall have precedence over government business provided that-

two Friday sittings shall be deemed equivalent to a single sitting on any other day;

on any day other than Friday, not more than two of the days at the disposal of the Leader of the Opposition may be taken in the form of four half days, and one of the days at the disposal of the leader of the second largest opposition party may be taken in the form of two half days; and

on any such half day, proceedings under this paragraph shall either-

lapse at seven o'clock on Monday, four o'clock on Tuesday or Wednesday or two o'clock on Thursday if not previously concluded, or

be set down for consideration at the hour specified in sub-paragraph (i) above and, except on days on which private business has been set down for consideration under the provisions of paragraph (5) of Standing Order No. 20 (Time for taking private business), shall be entered upon at that time:

Provided that on days on which business stands over until seven o'clock, four o'clock or two o'clock under the provisions of Standing Order No. 24 (Emergency debates) proceedings under this sub-paragraph shall not be entered upon until such business has been disposed of, and may then be proceeded with for three hours, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order No. 9 (Sittings of the House).

For the purposes of this order 'the second largest opposition party' shall be that party, of those not represented in Her Majesty's Government, which has the second largest number of Members elected to the House as members of that party.

Thirty-five days or its equivalent shall be allotted in each session for proceedings in the House and in Westminster Hall on backbench business of which at least twenty-seven shall be allotted for proceedings in the House; the business determined by the Backbench Business Committee shall have precedence over government business (other than any order of the day or notice of motion on which the question is to be put forthwith) on those days; and the provisions of paragraph (2)(c) of this Standing Order shall apply to any of those days taken in the House in the form of half-days.

For the purposes of paragraph (4) above, a Thursday sitting in Westminster Hall at which the business is appointed by the Backbench Business Committee shall count as one half-day and a topical debate shall count as one quarter-day.

Backbench business comprises all proceedings in the Chamber relating to any motion or order of the day except:

government business, that is proceedings relating to government bills, financial business, proceedings under any Act of Parliament, or relating to European Union Documents, or any other motion in the name of a Minister of the Crown;

opposition business under paragraph (2) above;

motions for the adjournment of the House under paragraph (7) of Standing Order No. 9 (Sittings of the House), private Members' motions for leave to bring in bills under Standing Order No. 23 (Motions for leave to bring in bills and nomination of select committees at commencement of public business) and private Members' bills under paragraphs (8) to (13) below;

proceedings relating to private business;

any motion to amend this order or Standing Order No. 152J (Backbench Business Committee);

business set down at the direction of, or given precedence by, the Speaker.

The proceedings to be taken as backbench business shall be determined by the Backbench Business Committee, as set out in Standing Order No. 152J (Backbench Business Committee).

Private Members' bills shall have precedence over government business on thirteen Fridays in each session to be appointed by the House.

On and after the eighth Friday on which private Members' bills have precedence, such bills shall be arranged on the order paper in the following order- consideration of Lords amendments, third readings, consideration of reports not already entered upon, adjourned proceedings on consideration, bills in progress in committee, bills appointed for committee, and second readings.

The ballot for private Members' bills shall be held on the second Thursday on which the House shall sit during the session under arrangements to be made by the Speaker, and each bill shall be presented by the Member who has given notice of presentation or by another Member named by him in writing to the Clerks at the Table, at the commencement of public business on the fifth Wednesday on which the House shall sit during the session.

Until after the fifth Wednesday on which the House shall sit during the session, no private Member shall-

give notice of a motion for leave to bring in a bill under Standing Order No. 23 (Motions for leave to bring in bills and nomination of select committees at commencement of public business); or

give notice for presenting a bill under Standing Order No. 57 (Presentation and first reading); or

inform the Clerks at the Table of his intention to take charge of a bill which has been brought from the Lords.

A private Member's bill to which the provisions of paragraphs (2) to (6) of Standing Order No. 97 (Scottish Grand Committee (bills in relation to their principle)) have applied, and which has been considered by a Scottish public bill committee, shall not be set down for consideration on report so as to have precedence over any private Member's bill so set down which was read a second time on a day preceding that on which the bill was reported from the Scottish Grand Committee under paragraph (3) of that Standing Order.

An order appointing a day for the second reading of a private Member's bill shall lapse at the rising of the House on the preceding sitting day if at that time the bill has not been printed and delivered to the Vote Office, and the House shall make no further order appointing a day for the second reading of the bill until it has been printed.

Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this order, government business shall, until Easter, have precedence at every sitting except at the sittings on Wednesdays and Fridays, at which sittings unofficial members' business shall have precedence; and on Wednesdays notices of motions shall have precedence of orders of the day, and on Fridays public bills shall have precedence of notices of motions.

After Easter government business shall have precedence at all sittings, except the sittings on the first, second, third and fourth Fridays after Easter Day and the sittings on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth Fridays after Whit Sunday.

At the sittings on Wednesday, when government business has not precedence Mr. Speaker shall at seven of the clock, if the first motion (other than a motion for the adjournment of the House made after the commencement of public business) has not been disposed of, proceed to interrupt the proceedings thereon and such business shall be disposed of as if it were business interrupted at ten of the clock under Standing order no. 1 (Sittings of the House).

In the case of a session beginning between Easter and Christmas the following modifications of paragraph (1) of this order shall have effect:-

Government business shall have precedence on as many Wednesdays immediately before Good Friday as the number of Wednesdays before Christmas on which it has not had precedence, and on as many Fridays immediately before Good Friday as the number of Fridays (reduced by three) on which it had not precedence before Christmas.

After Easter government business shall have precedence at all sittings except the sittings on the second, third, fourth, and fifth Fridays after Easter Day.