Opposition Day — [17th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons am 6:48 pm ar 11 Chwefror 2015.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith (
That the following provisions shall apply to the Infrastructure Bill [Lords] for the purpose of supplementing the Orders of
Consideration of Lords Message
(1) Any Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put.
(2) Proceedings on that Message shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement at today’s sitting.
Subsequent stages
(3) Any further Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put.
(4) The proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.—(Damian Hinds.)
Question agreed to.
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
Caroline Lucas has her answer: the House has decided that Members shall have one hour to take these proceedings forward.
Andrew Miller
Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. When this House sent the Bill to the other place, we sent a strong message through an Amendment that we unified around. The Lords have now diluted it and my hon. Friend Tom Greatrex has tabled an amendment to rectify the situation. Will you use your good offices to ensure that the House has an opportunity to vote on the amendment so that the will of the House, so clearly demonstrated last time, is upheld?
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
Once again, I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for having given me some notice of the point he wished to raise, which has given me the opportunity to consult Standing Orders Nos. 83F and G, from which I surmise and therefore rule that there is no opportunity for further debate, as the hon. Gentleman wishes, and I must give him the same answer as I have given to Caroline Lucas. The House has just decided on a programme motion that encompasses all that needs to be considered as far as the Bill is concerned.
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
I will not have a debate on this, but I will allow the hon. Gentleman to speak.
Andrew Miller
Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. For clarity, are you saying that if the House provides time for a Division to take place on the Opposition amendments, that can happen?
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
Yes, indeed, of course it can. I am happy to clarify that for the hon. Gentleman. Once again, it is up to the House. If the House decides that it wishes to use all the time available in debate and discussion, there will be less time for votes. If the House decides not to use the time for debate, there will be time for votes.
Joan Walley
Chair, Environmental Audit Committee, Chair, Environmental Audit Committee
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. As the Ministers are both in their place, as well as the Government’s business managers, is it not the case that irrespective of the Standing Orders of the House, if the Government so wish they could cease the debate at the appropriate time so that the Opposition amendments could be voted on?
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
I am not going to take up any more time on this as I have already answered that point. It is up to the House. If no Member wishes to speak, there will be plenty of time to vote. If many Members wish to speak, there will be less time to vote. I suggest that we proceed, rather than using any more precious time on points of order one way or another.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
The House of Lords. When used in the House of Lords, this phrase refers to the House of Commons.
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
