Permanent Arrangements for Westminster Hall, Thursday Sittings and Standing Committees — 29 Oct 2002 at 23:46

Ordered,

That, with effect from the beginning of the next Session of Parliament,-

(1) Standing Order No. 10 (Wednesday sittings) be repealed;

(2) the following Standing Order (Sittings in Westminster Hall) be made;

(1) On days on which the House shall sit after an address has been agreed to in answer to Her Majesty's Speech there shall be a sitting in Westminster Hall-

(a) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between half-past Nine o'clock and Two o'clock; and

(b) on Thursdays beginning at half-past Two o'clock and continuing for up to three hours (and in calculating that period no account shall be taken of any period during which the sitting may be suspended owing to a division being called in the House or a Committee of the whole House).

(2) Any Member of the House may take part in a sitting in Westminster Hall.

(3) Subject to paragraph (13) below, the business taken at any sitting in Westminster Hall shall be such as the Chairman of Ways and Means shall appoint and may include oral answers to questions under arrangements to be made by him.

(4) The Chairman of Ways and Means or a Deputy Chairman shall take the chair in Westminster Hall as Deputy Speaker; and the House may appoint not more than four other members of the Chairmen's Panel to sit in Westminster Hall as Deputy Speaker.

(5) Any member of the Chairmen's Panel may also take the chair at a sitting in Westminster Hall when so requested by the Chairman of Ways and Means, with the duties and powers conferred on additional Deputy Speakers; and Members so appointed shall be addressed by name.

(6) Any order made or resolution come to at a sitting in Westminster Hall (other than a resolution to adjourn) shall be reported to the House by the Deputy Speaker and shall be deemed to be an order or resolution of the House.

(7) If a motion be made by a Minister of the Crown that an order of the day be proceeded with at a sitting in Westminster Hall, the question thereon shall be put forthwith, but such motion may be made only with the leave of the House and may not be made on a Friday.

(8) The quorum at a sitting in Westminster Hall shall be three.

(9) If at a sitting in Westminster Hall the opinion of the Deputy Speaker as to the decision of a question (other than a question for adjournment) is challenged, that question shall not be decided, and the Deputy Speaker shall report to the House accordingly; and any such question shall be put forthwith upon a motion being made in the House.

(10) If any business other than a motion for adjournment is under consideration at a sitting in Westminster Hall, and not fewer than six Members rise in their places and signify their objection to further proceedings, that business shall not be further proceeded with in Westminster Hall, and the Deputy Speaker shall report to the House accordingly, and any order under paragraph (7) above relating thereto shall be discharged.

(11) At the end of each sitting in Westminster Hall, unless a question for adjournment has previously been agreed to, the Deputy Speaker shall adjourn the sitting without putting any question; and proceedings on any business which has been entered upon but not disposed of shall lapse.

(12) The provisions of Standing Orders No. 29 (Powers of chair to propose question), No. 36 (Closure of debate), No. 37 (Majority for closure or proposal of question), No. 38 (Procedure on divisions), No. 39 (Voting), No. 40 (Division unnecessarily claimed), No. 41 (Quorum), No. 43 (Disorderly conduct), No. 44 (Order in debate), No. 45 (Members suspended, &c., to withdraw from precincts), No. 45A (Suspension of salary of Members suspended) and No. 163 (Motions to sit in private) shall not apply to sittings in Westminster Hall.

(13) In each Session, the Speaker shall appoint not more than six Thursdays on which the business to be taken in Westminster Hall should be debates on select committee reports chosen by the Liaison Committee.

and

(3) the following Amendments to Standing Orders be made:

Standing Order No. 1B (Election of Speaker by secret ballot)

Line 90, leave out '10 (Wednesday sittings)' and insert '9 (Sittings of the House)'

Standing Order No. 9 (Sittings of the House)

Line 2, leave out 'and Thursdays at half-past two' and insert 'and Wednesdays at half-past two o'clock and Thursdays at half-past eleven'

Line 6, after 'Tuesday' insert 'Wednesday'

Line 15, after 'Tuesdays' insert 'and'

Line 16, after 'and' insert 'at seven o'clock on'

Line 16, after 'Thursdays', insert '(the Xmoment of interruption")'

Line 43, leave out 'ten o'clock' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Line 52, leave out 'ten o'clock in the evening' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Standing Order No. 11 (Friday sittings)

leave out lines 9 to 11 and insert –

'(b) the insertion of references to half-past two o'clock as the moment of interruption; and'

Standing Order No. 14 (Arrangement of Public Business)

Lines 20 and 23, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or four o'clock on Thursday'

Line 29, after 'o'clock' insert 'or four o'clock'

Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business)

Lines 4, 42, 93 and 96, leave out 'ten o'clock' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Line 24, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or eight o'clock on Thursday'

Standing Order No. 17 (Delegated legislation (negative procedure))

Lines 3 and 5, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or half-past eight o'clock on Thursday'

Line 18, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or eight o'clock on Thursday'

Standing Order No. 20 (Time for taking private business)

Line 3, leave out 'to three o'clock' and insert 'of an hour after the House sits'

Line 28, leave out 'Wednesday or Thursday' and insert 'or Wednesday or Four o'clock on any specified Thursday'

Line 38, after 'o'clock' insert 'or four o'clock'

Standing Order No. 21 (Time for taking questions)

Line 5, leave out 'after half-past three o'clock' and insert 'more than one hour after the House sits'

Standing Order No. 22 (Notices of questions, motions and amendments)

Line 6, leave out 'after half past ten o'clock in the evening' and insert 'later than half an hour after the moment of interruption'.

Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration)

Line 24, at end insert 'if it is a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or four o'clock if it is a Thursday'.

Line 27, after 'o'clock' insert 'on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or half-past Ten o'clock on a Thursday'

Line 52, after 'o'clock' insert 'or four o'clock'

Line 59, leave out 'seven o'clock' and insert 'the time when they were postponed'

Standing Order No. 54 (Consideration of estimates)

Lines 11 and 40, leave out 'ten o'clock' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Lines 18 and 22, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or four o'clock on Thursday'

Line 25, after 'o'clock' insert 'or four o'clock'

Standing Order No. 55 (Questions on voting of estimates, &c.)

Line 3, leave out 'ten o'clock' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Standing Order No. 88 (Meetings of standing committees)

Line 8, leave out '(being days on which the House sits)' and insert 'and at such times'

Line 9, leave out from 'committee' to end of line 10

Line 11, after 'sit' insert 'at Westminster, on a day on which the House sits,'

Line 13, after 'afternoon' insert 'on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays or between the hours of twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock in the morning and two o'clock in the afternoon on Thursdays'

Line 14, after 'committee' insert 'to which the proviso to paragraph (1) of this order applies'

Line 16, after 'o'clock' insert 'or twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock as the case may be'

Line 25, leave out 'until a quarter past one o'clock' and insert 'for a quarter of an hour'

Line 34, at end add-

'(3) Any standing committee may sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House.'

Standing Order No. 99 (Scottish Grand Committee (substantive motions for the adjournment))

Line 34, leave out 'at or after half-past three o'clock' and insert 'five hours or more after the commencement of the sitting'

Standing Order No. 100 (Scottish Grand Committee (sittings))

Leave out line 9 and insert 'such hours as may be specified'

Line 45, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock on Thursdays'

Standing Order No. 108 (Welsh Grand Committee (sittings))

Leave out lines 9 and 10 and insert 'such hours as may be specified'

Line 45, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock on Thursdays'

Standing Order No. 116 (Northern Ireland Grand Committee (sittings))

Line 57, after 'o'clock' insert 'on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock on Thursdays'

Standing Order No. 117 (Standing Committee on Regional Affairs)

Line 37, leave out 'at ten o'clock'

Standing Order No. 145 (Liaison Committee)

Line 10, leave out XWednesdays" and insert Xdays"

Line 11, leave out '(4) of Standing Order No. 10 (Wednesday sittings)' and insert '(13) of Standing Order (Sittings in Westminster Hall)'

Standing Order No. 154 (Time and manner of presenting petitions)

Line 22, leave out 'ten o'clock or at half-past two o'clock respectively' and insert 'the moment of interruption'

Standing Order No. 155 (Petition as to present personal grievance)

Line 7, leave out 'shall not be interrupted at ten o'clock and'-<[i>Mr. Woolas.]

DEFERRED DIVISIONS

Motion made, and Question put,

That the Order relating to Deferred Divisions, made by the House on 28th June 2001, shall continue to have effect in the next session of Parliament.-[Mr. Woolas.]

The House divided: Ayes 313, Noes 153.

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