House of Commons SESSIONAL RETURNS Session 2016–17 18 May 2016–3 May 2017 HOUSE, COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE HOUSE, GENERAL COMMITTEES AND SELECT COMMITTEES HC 1 House of Commons SESSIONAL RETURNS Session 2016–17 18 May 2016–3 May 2017 RETURNS to Orders of the Honourable The House of Commons, dated 13 July 2016—(The Chairman of Ways and Means) HOUSE, COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE HOUSE, GENERAL COMMITTEES AND SELECT COMMITTEES Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 13 July 2017 HC 1 Published 13 July 2017 by authority of the House of Commons INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Sessional Return provides statistical information about the House and its Committees. The Sessional Returns were first published in consolidated form for Session 1986–87. Returns of: i. Closure of debate in the House and in Standing Committees dating back to 1887 and 1907 respectively; ii. Delegated Legislation from Session 1974–75; iii. Private Bills and Private Business from 1981; iv. Sittings of the House from Session 1960–61; and v. Special Procedure Orders from Session 1972–73 have been placed in the House of Commons Library where they may be inspected by Members. Copies have also been supplied to the Parliamentary Archives, where they are available to the public for inspection. Requests for inspection should be addressed to the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0PW (020 7219 3074). Hours of inspection are from 10.00am to 4.00pm Mondays to Fridays. Electronic copies of the Sessional Returns from 1997–98 onwards can be found online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmsesret.htm SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 1 Contents 1 Business of the House 5 A Questions 5 B Notices of Motions for an Early Day 5 C Disciplinary Powers of the Chair 5 D Petitions 5 2 Closure of Debate, Proposal of Question and Allocation of Time 7 A Closure of Debate 7 B Power of Chair to Propose Question 8 C Previous Question 8 D (1) Allocation of Time 8 (2) Allocation of Time (Programme Motions) 8 (3) Allocation of Time (Business of the House Motions) 24 3 Sittings of the House 25 A Days and hours of sitting in the House 25 B Days and hours of sitting in Westminster Hall 30 C Distribution of time on the floor of the House between principal types of business 34 D Distribution of time in Westminster Hall between applicable types of business 35 4 Private Bills and Private Business 36 A Private Bills, Private Business and Special Procedure Orders: General 36 B Opposed Bill Committees 37 C Committee on Unopposed Bills 37 D Court of Referees 38 E Standing Orders Committee 38 F Joint Committees 38 5 Public Bills 39 A General Summary 39 B Bills which received the Royal Assent 40 C Bills which did not receive the Royal Assent 41 D Consideration of Bills in Committee of the whole House 44 E Consideration of Bills in General Committees 45 6 Delegated Legislation and Legislative Reform Orders 54 A Instruments laid before the House 54 2 SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 B Instruments considered by the Joint and Select Committees on Statutory Instruments 54 C Consideration in the House and in Delegated Legislation Committee 55 D Draft Legislative Reform Orders 56 E Remedial Orders under the Human Rights Act 1998 56 7 European Legislation, etc 57 A Consideration by the European Scrutiny Committee 57 B Consideration on a Motion on the floor of the House and in European Committees 57 8 Grand Committees and the Regional Affairs Committee 58 9 Panel of Chairs 59 10 Select Committees 60 A SELECT COMMITTEE SUMMARY STATISTICS 60 B SELECT COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE, WORK, PUBLICATIONS ETC 63 1. Administration 63 2. Backbench Business 65 3. Business, Innovation and Skills 66 4. Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 68 5. Communities and Local Government 70 6. Consolidation &c., Bills (Joint Committee) 72 7. Culture, Media and Sport 73 8. Defence 76 8A. Defence Sub-Committee 79 9. Education 81 9A. Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee 84 10. Energy and Climate Change 86 11. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 88 11A. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sub-Committee: Animal Welfare in England 91 11B. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sub-Committee: Forestry in England 93 12. Environmental Audit 95 13. European Scrutiny 98 14. Exiting the European Union 101 14A. Exiting the European Union Sub-Committee 104 15. Finance 106 16. Foreign Affairs 107 SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 3 16A. Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee 110 17. Health 112 18. Home Affairs 115 19. Human Rights (Joint Committee) 118 20. International Development 120 20A. Work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact Sub-Committee 123 21. International Trade 125 22. Justice 127 23. Liaison 130 23A. National Policy Statement Sub-Committee 131 24. National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) 132 25. Northern Ireland Affairs 135 26. Palace of Westminster (Joint Committee) 138 27. Petitions 139 28. Privileges 141 29. Procedure 142 30. Public Accounts 144 31. Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs 147 32. Regulatory Reform 149 33. Science and Technology 150 34. Scottish Affairs 153 35. Selection 156 36. Standards 157 37. Statutory Instruments 159 38. Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) 160 39. Transport 161 40. Treasury 163 41. Welsh Affairs 165 42. Women and Equalities 168 43. Work and Pensions 170 C SELECT COMMITTEE STAFFING AND COSTS IN DETAIL 172 1 Select Committee Staff 172 2 Witness Diversity Session 2016–17 174 3 Select Committee Expenses for Financial Year 2016/17* 176 Appendix—MEMBERS SERVING ON COMMITTEES 179 SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 5 1 Business of the House Information and statistics relating to Questions; Notices of Motions for an Early Day; the exercise of disciplinary powers by the Chair and by order of the House; and Public Petitions.1 A Questions Number of Questions which appeared on the Order Paper: for written answer on a named day 13,555 for ordinary written answer 21,156 Total for written answer 34,711 Total for oral answer 4,422 of which number reached for answer in the House 3,362 Total number of Questions 39,133 Number of Urgent Questions 74 Number of days upon which replies to Questions for oral answer were given in the House1 129 B Notices of Motions for an Early Day Total number of Notices of Motions given for an Early Day 1,205 C Disciplinary Powers of the Chair Members ordered to withdraw Number of Members ordered to withdraw from the House under Standing Order No. 43 (Disorderly conduct) in the House 0 in Committee of the whole House 0 Total 0 Members suspended from the service of the House Number of Members suspended from the service of the House by order made under Standing Order 0 No.44 (Order in debate) by orders made otherwise 1 Total 1 D Petitions Total number of Public Petitions 328 Number of Petitions presented at the times specified by Standing Order No. 154 (Time and 296 manner of presenting petitions) Number of Petitions on which observation were published pursuant to Standing Order No. 308 156 (Printing of petitions and of ministerial replies) Number of e-petitions opened 6,348 1 No Questions for oral answer were taken in Westminster Hall during this session 6 SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 Number of Westminster Hall debates on e-petitions 24 Number of Government responses received 266 SESSIONAL RETURNS 2016–17 7 2 Closure of Debate, Proposal of Question and Allocation of Time Information and statistics relating to applications of Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate) in the House, in Committee of the whole House and in Committees; applications of Standing Order No. 29 (Powers of Chair to propose question) in the House, Committee of the whole House and Committees; and Bills in respect of which allocation of time orders were made under Standing Order No. 83 (Allocation of time to bills) or to which Programme Motions, Business of the House Orders or Procedure Motions applied. A Closure of Debate In the House The Closure was claimed on 15 occasions. Assent of the Chair was not withheld on any of these occasions. The Closure was agreed to on division in 3 instances. The Closure was disagreed to once in division. Date Subject of Debate Result 25 May 2016 Queen’s Speech (Motion for an address) Agreed to 26 May 2016 Queen’s Speech (Motion for an address) Agreed to 8 June 2016 Opposition Day (1st, 2nd Part): Disability employment Agreed to gap 14 September 2016 Opposition Day (Un-allotted half day): NHS Agreed to Sustainability and Transformation Plans 21 October 2016 Sexual Offences (Pardons Etc) Bill: Second Reading Disagreed to on division 26 October 2016 Opposition Day (10th, 2nd Part): Conflict and Agreed to humanitarian situation in Yemen 16 November 2016 Opposition Day (12th, 2nd Part): Social care Agreed to 18 November 2016 Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill: Agreed to on division Second Reading 22 November 2016 Opposition Day (13th, 2nd Part): National Health Agreed to Service funding 30 November 2016 Opposition Day (14th, 2nd Part): Effect of the increase Agreed to in the state pension age on women born in the 1950s 16 December 2016 Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women Agreed to on division and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill: Second Reading 11 January 2017 Opposition Day (17th, 1st Part): NHS and social care Agreed to funding 17 January 2017 Opposition Day (18th, 2nd Part): Effect of Department Agreed to for Work and Pensions’ policies on low-income households 25 January 2017 Opposition Day (19th, 2nd Part): School funding Agreed to 24 February 2017 Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women Agreed to on division and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill: Third Reading In Committee of the whole House The Closure was not claimed in Committee of the whole House in Session 2016–17.