UK Parliament — House of Commons

The Chairman of Ways and Means or a Deputy Chairman shall take the chair as Deputy Speaker when requested so to do by the Speaker, without any formal communication to the House.

Whenever the House shall be informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the Speaker, or where paragraph (3) of this order applies, the Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in relation to all proceedings of this House, as Deputy Speaker, until the Speaker resumes the chair or, if he does not resume the chair during the course of the sitting, until the next meeting of the House, and so on from day to day, on the like information being given to the House, until the House shall otherwise order:

Provided that if the House shall adjourn for more than twenty-four hours the Chairman of Ways and Means shall continue to perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker, as Deputy Speaker, for twenty-four hours only after such adjournment.

For the purpose of paragraph (2) of this order, the Speaker shall have leave of absence, if he thinks fit, on any Friday on which the House sits.

Whenever the House has been informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House both of the Speaker, and of the Chairman of Ways and Means, the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in accordance with paragraph (2) of this order; and if the House should be so informed of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the First Deputy Chairman also, the Second Deputy Chairman shall perform those duties and exercise that authority.

The Chairman of Ways and Means or the Deputy Chairman shall take the chair as Deputy Speaker, when requested so to do by Mr. Speaker, without any formal communication to the House.

Whenever the House shall be informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence of Mr. Speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of Mr. Speaker in relation to all proceedings of this House, as Deputy Speaker, until Mr. Speaker resumes the Chair or, if he does not resume the Chair during the course of the sitting, until the next meeting of the House, and so on from day to day, on the like information being given to the House, until the House shall otherwise order:

Provided that if the House shall adjourn for more than twenty-four hours the Chairman of Ways and Means shall continue to perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker, as Deputy Speaker, for twenty-four hours only after such adjournment.

The Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means shall not perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in accordance with paragraph (2) of this order, unless the House has been informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence both of Mr. Speaker and of the Chairman of Ways and Means.