either Deputy Chairman, shall act in his stead for the purposes

of this order.

Arrangement and Timing of Public and Private Business

Arrangement of

public business.

14.—(1) Save as provided in this order, government business

shall have precedence at every sitting.

(2) 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—

(a) two Friday sittings shall be deemed equivalent to a

single sitting on any other day;

(b) on any day other than a 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

(c) on any such half day, proceedings under this

paragraph shall either—

(i) lapse at seven o’clock on Monday or Tuesday,

four o’clock on Wednesday or three o’clock on

Thursday if not previously concluded, or

(ii) 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 three o’clock under

the provisions of Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment

on specific and important matter that should have

urgent consideration) 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).

(3) 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.

(4) Private Members’ bills shall have precedence over

government business on thirteen Fridays in each session to be

appointed by the House.

(5) 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.

(6) 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.

(7) Until after the fifth Wednesday on which the House shall

sit during the session, no private Member shall—

(a) 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

(b) give notice for presenting a bill under Standing Order

No. 57 (Presentation and first reading); or

(c) inform the Clerks at the Table of his intention to take

charge of a bill which has been brought from the Lords.

(8) 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.

(9) 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.

Exempted

business.

15.—(1) The following business may be proceeded with at

any hour though opposed, shall not, save for the purpose of

moving a motion pursuant to paragraph (2) of this order, be

interrupted at the moment of interruption, and, if under

discussion when business is postponed under the provisions of

any standing order, may be resumed, though opposed, after the

interruption of business:

(a) proceedings on a bill brought in upon a ways and

means resolution;

(b) proceedings in pursuance of any standing order of this

House which provides that proceedings, though

opposed, may be decided after the expiration of the

time for opposed business;

(c) proceedings on a motion such as is referred to in

paragraph (2) of Standing Order No. 121 (Nomination

of select committees) for the nomination or discharge

of members of select committees to which that

paragraph applies which has been opposed at or after

the interruption of business on a preceding day:

Provided that any questions necessary to dispose of

the proceedings on such a motion shall be put at eleven

o’clock on Monday or Tuesday, eight o’clock on

Wednesday or seven o’clock on Thursday or one hour

after the commencement of those proceedings,

whichever is the later.

(2) If a notice of motion in the name of a Minister of the

Crown stands upon the order paper at the commencement of

public business to the effect that any specified business may be

proceeded with at this day’s sitting though opposed—

(a) until any hour;

(b) until a specified hour; or

(c) until either a specified hour or the end of a specified

period after it has been entered upon, whichever is the

later;

or in a form combining any or all of these effects in respect of

different items of business, the motion shall stand over and

may not be made until after the interruption of business and

shall then be proceeded with, though opposed, in accordance

with the following paragraphs of this order provided that on

any day on which the Speaker is directed to put questions at the

moment of interruption pursuant to paragraph (5) of Standing

Order No. 54 (Consideration of estimates), any such motion

shall stand over until those questions have been decided.

(3) If the business interrupted is included in the business

specified in the motion or in paragraph (1) of this order, the

Speaker shall, immediately after the interruption of business,

or if the House has been in committee, before any day is named

for the House again to resolve itself into that committee, call

upon the Minister to move his motion and the question thereon

shall be put forthwith, and after that question has been decided

the consideration of the business interrupted shall be resumed

if such business is included in the business specified in

paragraph (1) of this order or if the question be resolved in the

affirmative.

(4) If the business interrupted is not included in the business

specified in the motion or in paragraph (1) of this order, the

Speaker shall call upon the Minister to move his motion at the

conclusion of any proceedings arising on the interruption of

business under the provisions of Standing Order No. 9 (Sittings

of the House) but before the resumption of any proceedings

postponed under Standing Order No. 20 (Time for taking

private business) or Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on

specific and important matter that should have urgent

consideration).

(5) If a motion made under either of the two preceding

paragraphs be agreed to, the business so specified shall be

proceeded with as if it were included in the business specified

in paragraph (1) of this order, save that—

(a) business which may be proceeded with until a

specified hour may not, if opposed, be entered upon or

resumed after that hour and the proceedings thereon if

not previously concluded shall be interrupted at that

hour;

(b) when proceedings on such business have been

postponed under the provisions of Standing Order No.

24 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that

should have urgent consideration), such business may

be proceeded with after the specified hour for a further

period of time equal to the duration of the proceedings

upon the motion under the said Standing Order No. 24;

and

(c) the proceedings upon business which may be

proceeded with until either a specified hour or the end

of a specified period after it has been entered upon,

whichever is the later, shall if not previously concluded

be interrupted at that hour or at the end of that period,

as the case may be.

(6) Not more than one motion under paragraph (2) of this

order may be made at any one sitting and after any business

proceeding under the provisions of this order is disposed of

after the moment of interruption, the remaining business of the

sitting shall be dealt with according to the provisions of

Standing Order No. 9 (Sittings of the House) applicable to

business taken after the moment of interruption.

Proceedings

under an Act or

on European

Union

documents.

16.—(1) The Speaker shall put the questions necessary to

dispose of proceedings under any Act of Parliament or on

European Union documents (as defined in Standing Order No.

143 (European Scrutiny Committee)) not later than one and a

half hours after the commencement of such proceedings,

subject to the provisions of Standing Order No. 17 (Delegated

legislation (negative procedure)).

(2) Business to which this order applies may be proceeded

with at any hour, though opposed.

Delegated

legislation

(negative

procedure).

17.—(1) No proceedings on a motion to which this order

applies shall be entered upon at or after half‑past eleven

o’clock on Monday or Tuesday, half‑past eight o’clock on

Wednesday or half‑past seven o’clock on Thursday.

(2) If such a motion is under consideration at that hour, the

Speaker shall forthwith put any question which may be

requisite to bring to a decision any question already proposed

from the chair:

Provided that, if he shall be of opinion that—

(a) owing to the lateness of the hour at which

consideration of the motion was entered upon, or

(b) because of the importance of the subject matter of the

motion,

the time for debate has not been adequate, he shall interrupt the

business and the debate shall stand adjourned till the next

sitting (other than a Friday).

(3) A debate which has been adjourned under paragraph (2)

of this order shall not be resumed less than half an hour before

the time specified in paragraph (1) of this order, but shall stand

further adjourned till the next sitting (other than a Friday), and