Business of the House — 7 Nov 2000

Motion made, and Question proposed,

That at today's sitting the Speaker shall put the Questions necessary to dispose of proceedings on the Motions in the name of Margaret Beckett relating to Programming of Bills and Deferred Divisions not later than Ten o'clock, and such Questions shall include the Questions on any amendments selected by the Speaker which may then be moved; and those Questions may be decided, though opposed, after the expiration of the time for opposed business.--[ Mr. Kevin Hughes. ]

All Governments are tomorrow's possible Opposition.--[ Official Report , 27 February 1986; Vol. 92, c. 1088.]

42 groups of amendments were selected by the Chair; 11 of them were debated, but 31 (of which 4 consisted of minor and drafting amendments) were not reached.

It is more time than we spent debating the parliamentary calendar and as much time as we spent debating whether we should set up the experiment in Westminster Hall. There is therefore nothing unprecedented about the time allowed for the debate.--[ Official Report , 2 November 2000; Vol. 355, c. 854.]

Numbers of Bills timetabled since 1945.

the voluntary timetabling of legislation, has improved the sensible scrutiny of legislation. It has certainly taken us away from the rather absurd situation that existed when I first became a Member of Parliament, in which, almost routinely, the Opposition, of which I was then part, talked endlessly about the early clauses of a Bill, which inevitably drove the Government to impose a guillotine, and the later parts of the Bill got very little discussion.--[ Official Report , 11 July 1996; Vol. 281, c. 628.]

Question put, That the Question be now put.

The House proceeded to a Division.

The House having divided: Ayes 251, Noes 164.

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