HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2013–14 8 May 2013 to 14 May 2014 Prepared in the Journal Office of the House of Commons INTRODUCTION 1. This diary records the business on which the House spent its time in Session 2013–14, analysed into categories, and similar information for sittings in Westminster Hall. It is intended mainly to provide information in response to statistical inquiries, and in using it the following points should be borne in mind: (a) The diary does not include business which took little or no time, such as presentations of bills, unopposed private business, and motions agreed to without debate or division. (b) Divisions are normally included with the business to which they relate. (c) Timings are taken from the Official Report, using the printed times where available, and otherwise taking a column of debate to last three minutes. Daily prayers are assumed to last a standard five minutes, unless stated otherwise (and are not itemised in the analysis). (d) Periods of suspension are included in the total sitting time, and are listed in section 14j of the analysis (Miscellaneous). However, the 2½-hour suspension from 11.30 to 14.00 in Westminster Hall on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays (introduced on 1 January 2003) is shown in brackets in the “Duration” column and is left out of the totals. Other suspensions in Westminster Hall are included in the totals and in the analysis under section 7. (e) The times in the column headed “After appointed time” refer to business taken after the time appointed as the “moment of interruption”. In Session 2013–14, these times were as follows: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 2200 *1900 *1900 1700 1430 * 2200 on the day of the State Opening of Parliament and immediately following a periodic adjournment. (f) All times are in hours and minutes, using the 24-hour clock. 2. A Sessional Diary has been kept in the Journal Office for most sessions since 1906, although in the early years times were kept only to the nearest quarter hour. An analysis substantially in the current form begins in the 1960s. The totals from the analysis have been reproduced in the Sessional Information Digest since 1984–85 and in the House’s Sessional Returns since 1987–88. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS AND TOTALS Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time I Diary for House 1 II Analysis for House 1273.24 119.14 1. Addresses other than Prayers 37.29 1.14 76 2. Government bills 337.27 19.46 a Second readings: committed to public bill 79.10 2.51 76 committee b Second readings: committal to Committee of 26.10 1.54 77 whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation — — bills) d Committee of the whole House 47.26 7.18 77 e Consideration 138.31 3.53 77 f Third reading 11.01 1.17 78 g Lords amendments 28.46 2.03 79 h Allocation of time motions 1.47 — 79 i Other stages 4.36 0.30 79 3. Private Members’ bills 62.04 0.30 a Second readings (and all stages) 40.50 0.23 79 b Later stages 21.14 0.07 80 4. Private bills at time for opposed private business 7.17 6.10 81 5. Government motions 61.49 19.29 a European Union documents 15.26 6.27 81 b Business motions 1.02 0.01 81 c General 33.52 10.00 82 d General debates 11.29 3.01 82 e Topical debates — — 6. Opposition business 136.04 7.23 a Opposition days 132.37 7.23 82 b Opposition motions in Government time 3.27 — 83 7. Backbench business 174.38 1.26 84 8. Private Members’ business (other than bills) 90.56 59.01 a Substantive motions 1.32 — 86 b Ten-minute rule motions 11.53 — 86 c S.O. No. 24 debates — — d Daily Adjournment Debates 77.31 59.01 87 9. Estimates 15.36 0.08 91 iii Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time 10. Money Resolutions 0.38 0.25 91 11. Ways and Means 22.03 0.56 91 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 5.56 0.02 92 13. Negative Statutory Instruments — — 14. Business when no Question before House 308.05 2.44 a Questions 113.11 — 92 b Topical Questions 28.17 — 97 c Urgent Questions 23.01 — 100 d Statements 82.38 — 101 e Business Statements 31.27 — 105 f Select Committee Statement 2.29 — 105 g S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.04 — 106 h Points of order 9.19 0.24 106 i Public petitions 2.56 2.00 114 j Miscellaneous 14.43 0.20 117 15. Daily prayers 13.22 — 118 III Diary for Westminster Hall 119 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 421.46 — 1. Private Members 307.42 — a Private Members’ Adjournment Debates 284.18 — 143 b Private Members’ (Backbench Business 23.24 — 150 Committee recommended) Adjournment Debates 2. Backbench Business Committee Adjournment 39.05 — 150 Debates 3. Liaison Committee Adjournment Debates 49.52 — 151 4. Questions — — 5. Petitions 5.43 — 152 6. Select Committee Statements 0.23 — 152 7. Suspensions 19.00 — 152 8. Miscellaneous 0.01 — 154 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appointed time 1. Wednesday 8 May 2013 11.25 Prayers 0.05 11.30 Message from the Queen; Suspension 3.00 14.30 Speaker’s Statement: Conduct and practice 0.06 14.36 Address [1st day] 6.55 21.31 Adjournment: Mr David Burrowes: Burma (Human rights) 0.51 0.22 22.22 House rose [Totals for session: 10.57; 0.22] 10.57 0.22 2. Thursday 9 May 2013 09.30 Prayers 0.05 09.35 Business Statement: Leader of the House 0.42 10.17 Urgent Question: Stephen Twigg (asking); Parliamentary Under-Secretary of 0.27 State for Education (Elizabeth Truss) (answering): Child-care ratios 10.44 Statement: Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Grayling): Rehabilitation of 0.43 Offenders 11.27 Speaker’s Statement: Arrangements for election of Chair for the Backbench 0.04 Business Committee 11.31 Address [2nd day] 5.29 17.00 Adjournment: Mr Michael McCann: Hezbollah 0.27 0.27 17.27 House rose [Totals for session: 18.54; 0.49] 7.57 0.27 3. Friday 10 May 2013 09.30 Prayers 0.05 09.35 Address [3rd day] 4.55 14.30 Adjournment: Robert Halfon: Worker’s rights 0.28 0.28 14.58 House rose [Totals for session: 24.22; 1.17] 5.28 0.28 4. Monday 13 May 2013 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Points of Order: Chris Bryant: Amendments to the Queen’s speech 0.03 George Galloway: Statement on Shapla square Debbie Abrahams: DWP statistics 14.38 Address [4th day] 7.19 21.57 Adjournment: Tom Blenkinsop: Cleveland fire authority 0.32 0.29 22.29 House rose [Totals for session: 32.21; 1.46] 7.59 0.29 2 SESSION 2013–14 Time Subject Duration After appointed time 5. Tuesday 14 May 2013 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Treasury 0.42 12.17 Topical Questions: Treasury 0.16 12.33 Statement: Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Philip Hammond): Operation 0.40 Herrick 13.13 Address [5th day] [division] 6.04 0.17 19.17 Public Petitions: Sir Nick Harvey: Access to Eculizumab 0.04 0.04 Keith Vaz: Access to Eculizumab 19.21 Adjournment: Charlotte Leslie: Council sport provision 0.20 0.20 19.41 House rose [Totals for session: 40.32; 2.27] 8.11 0.41 6. Wednesday 15 May 2013 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Wales 0.29 12.04 Questions: Prime Minister 0.31 12.35 Statement: Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Mr Edward 0.51 Davey): Petrol Prices 13.26 Speaker’s Statement: Wrong numbers reported in a division 0.02 13.28 Point of Order: Leader of the House (Mr Andrew Lansley): Application of 0.00 Standing Order No. 33 13.28 Address [6th day] [divisions] 6.29 0.57 19.57 Adjournment: Julie Hilling: Dangerous dogs and Jade Lomas Anderson 0.29 0.29 20.26 House rose [Totals for session: 49.28; 3.53] 8.56 1.26 7. Thursday 16 May 2013 09.30 Prayers 0.05 09.35 Questions: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0.37 10.12 Topical Questions: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0.11 10.23 Questions: Electoral Commission (2); Church Commissioners (10) Public 0.14 Accounts Commission (2) 10.37 Business Statement: Leader of the House 0.56 11.33 Backbench Business [unallotted day]: Mental health 4.01 15.34 Adjournment: Mr Mark Spencer: Road traffic offences (sentencing) 0.23 15.57 House rose [Totals for session: 55.55; 3.53] 6.27 0.00 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appointed time 8. Monday 20 May 2013 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Speaker’s Statement: Search of a Member’s office 0.01 14.36 Questions: Work and Pensions 0.46 15.22 Topical Questions: Work and Pensions 0.09 15.31 Statement: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr 0.59 William Hague):Syria 16.30 Allocation of Time: Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill (Programme) (No.2) 0.13 16.43 Consideration [1st day]: Marriages (Same Sex Couples) Bill [divisions] 5.49 0.32 22.32 Public Petition: Nic Dakin: Bedroom tax 0.01 0.01 22.33 Adjournment: Alison Seabeck: Marine management organisation (data accuracy) 0.29 0.29 23.02 House rose [Totals for session: 64.27; 4.55] 8.32 1.02 9.