Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill and Disqualifications Bill (Allocation of Time) — The allotted day12. In this Order, "allotted day" means any day on which the Disqualifications Bill is put down on the main business as first Government Order of the Day. — 29 Nov 2000

I beg to move,

That the following provisions shall apply to the remaining proceedings on the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill and the Disqualifications Bill:--

Lords Amendments

(2) Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendments to the Disqualifications Bill shall be completed in one allotted day and, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion three hours after their commencement.

2.--(1) This paragraph applies for the purpose of bringing proceedings on either Bill to a conclusion in accordance with paragraph 1.

(2) The Speaker shall first put forthwith any Question which has been proposed from the Chair and not yet decided.

(3) If that Question is for the amendment of a Lords Amendment, the Speaker shall then put forthwith--

(a) a single Question on any further Amendments of the Lords Amendment moved by a Minister of the Crown, and

(b) the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown that this House agrees or disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment or (as the case may be) in their Amendment as amended.

(4) The Speaker shall then put forthwith--

(a) a single Question on any Amendments moved by a Minister of the Crown to a Lords Amendment, and

(b) the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown that this House agrees or disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment or (as the case may be) in their Amendment as amended.

(5) The Speaker shall then put forthwith the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown that this House disagrees with the Lords in a Lords Amendment.

(6) The Speaker shall then put forthwith the Question that this House agrees with the Lords in all the remaining Lords Amendments.

(7) As soon as the House has--

(a) agreed or disagreed with the Lords in any of their Amendments, or

(b) disposed of an Amendment relevant to a Lords Amendment which has been disagreed to,

the Speaker shall put forthwith a single Question on any Amendments moved by a Minister of the Crown relevant to the Lords Amendment.

3.--(1) The Speaker shall put forthwith the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown for the consideration forthwith of any further Message from the Lords on either Bill.

(2) The proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.

4.--(1) This paragraph applies for the purpose of bringing proceedings to a conclusion in accordance with paragraph 3.

(2) The Speaker shall first put forthwith any Question which has been proposed from the Chair and not yet decided.

(3) The Speaker shall then put forthwith the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown which is related to the Question already proposed from the Chair.

(4) The Speaker shall then put forthwith the Question on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to any of the remaining items in the Lords Message.

(5) The Speaker shall then put forthwith the Question that this House agrees with the Lords in all the remaining Lords Proposals.

5.--(1) This paragraph applies to any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown, in relation to either Bill, for the appointment, nomination and quorum of a Committee to draw up Reasons and the appointment of its Chairman.

(2) The Speaker shall put forthwith the Question on the Motion.

(3) The Committee shall report before the conclusion of the sitting at which it is appointed.

(4) Proceedings in the Committee shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion 30 minutes after their commencement.

(5) For the purpose of bringing any proceedings to a conclusion in accordance with sub-paragraph (4), the Chairman shall--

(a) first put forthwith any Question which has been proposed from the Chair and not yet decided, and

(b) then put forthwith successively Questions on Motions which may be made by a Minister of the Crown for assigning a Reason for disagreeing with the Lords in any of their Amendments.

(6) The proceedings of the Committee shall be reported without any further Question being put.

6.--(1) The following paragraphs apply to--

(a) proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendments to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill,

(b) proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendments to the Disqualifications Bill,

(c) proceedings on any further Message from the Lords on either Bill, and

(d) proceedings on the appointment, nomination and quorum of a Committee to draw up Reasons (and the appointment of its Chairman) and the Report of such a Committee.

7. Standing Order No. 15(1) (Exempted business) shall apply to the proceedings.

8. The proceedings shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.

9. No dilatory Motion with respect to, or in the course of, the proceedings shall be made except by a Minister of the Crown; and the Question on any such Motion shall be put forthwith.

10.--(1) If on a day on which any of the proceedings take place a Motion for the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration) would stand over to Seven o'clock--

(a) that Motion stands over until the conclusion of any of the proceedings which are to be brought to a conclusion at or before that time, and

(b) the bringing to a conclusion of any of the proceedings which are to be brought to a conclusion after that time is postponed for a period of time equal to the duration of the proceedings on that Motion.

(2) If a Motion for the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 24 stands over from an earlier day to such a day, the bringing to a conclusion of any of the proceedings on that day is postponed for a period of time equal to the duration of the proceedings on that Motion.

11. If the House is adjourned, or the sitting is suspended, before the expiry of the period at the end of which any of the proceedings are to be brought to a conclusion under this Order, no notice shall be required of a Motion made at the next sitting by a Minister of the Crown for varying or supplementing the provisions of this Order.

I have never managed to work up much indignation about timetabling. However hard they search the Official Report , Opposition Members will not find one scintilla of indignation from me on the subject of guillotines during my years in Parliament. In my early days in opposition, I recall spending the best part of 150 hours considering the Bill that became the Water Act 1989, but covering barely 10 clauses. At the end of that, the Minister in charge, the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard), announced a guillotine. At that point, the Opposition were all supposed to rise and say how outrageous it all was. Personally, I could have kissed him.--[ Official Report , 27 November 2000; Vol. 357, c. 711.]

I hope that this will not be too long a debate.--[ Official Report , 24 January 2000; Vol. 343, c. 26.]

A person may not be appointed as an Electoral Commissioner if he . . . is a member of a registered party

an officer or employee of a registered party

within the last ten years.

For many of us, the shambles of the fag-end of the previous Session is still fresh in our memory--four guillotines in the last 10 days of the previous Session, and 820 amendments to the Greater London Authority Bill. However, far from learning the lessons of the end of the previous Session, the Government seem determined to repeat and amplify their mistakes.

modernising and reforming the legislative process.--[ Official Report , 24 November 2000; Vol. 339, c. 709-10.]

we have had an unfortunate break in the thread of continuity . . . But that has enabled us to have time to pause for reflection.--[ Official Report, House of Lords , 10 October 2000; Vol. 617, c. 183.]

We are disappointed that the proposals for restrictions on donations from overseas differ in Northern Ireland from Great Britain. This is the one area in which legislation for Northern Ireland should be at least as strong as that in Great Britain.

The Government note the broad support on both sides of the House for dealing with this issue, and the strong sympathy that exists for the proposition made, on this occasion, by the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis).--[ Official Report , 14 March 2000; Vol. 346, c. 263-4.]

What then is the spirit of liberty? . . . The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weights their interests alongside its own without bias.

Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with their importunate chink, whilst thousands of great cattle, reposed beneath the shadow of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that those who make the most noise are the only inhabitants of the field.

I readily admit that the Bill is cumbersome and bureaucratic.--[ Official Report, House of Lords , 10 October 2000; Vol. 617, c. 272.]

I should like to offer my sincere thanks to the Opposition Chief Whip, the Opposition Front Bench, the Liberal Democrat Front Bench and the Back Benches of all parties. We reached the target that we were hoping for . . . I am truly grateful for the co-operation that has been demonstrated by the whole House.--[ Official Report, House of Lords , 24 October 2000; Vol. 618, c. 273.]

As we recognise that the aim of the Bill is to build on what has already been achieved in Northern Ireland, we will not oppose its Second Reading.--[ Official Report , 24 January 2000; Vol. 343, c. 34.]

It being three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the allocation of time motion, Madam Deputy Speaker put the Question, pursuant to the Standing Order.

The House divided: Ayes 358, Noes 177.

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