HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2016–17 18 May 2016 to 27 April 2017 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 2016–17, 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 2016–17, 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 until 2010–12 and in the House’s Sessional Returns since 1987–88. 3. Individual proceedings relating to the UK’s exit from the European Union are marked [Exit], and the total duration of proceedings are shown in the totals. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS AND TOTALS Part Contents Duration After Exit Page appoin- related ted time I Diary for House 1 II Analysis for House 1065.37 76.36 104.03 1. Addresses other than Prayers 34.04 0.54 — 103 2. Government bills 235.42 19.07 43.06 a Second readings: committed to public 71.29 1.01 2.35 103 bill committee b Second readings: committal to 27.51 5.29 14.07 104 Committee of whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation bills) d Committee of the whole House 42.10 6.31 22.21 104 e Consideration 63.41 4.11 — 105 f Third reading 8.10 0.46 0.01 105 g Lords amendments 21.27 0.51 2.30 106 h Allocation of time motions i Other stages 1.12 0.18 0.29 106 3. Private Members’ bills 62.14 0.17 — a Second readings (and all stages) 42.54 0.09 — 107 b Later stages 19.20 0.08 — 108 4. Private bills at time for opposed private 1.45 0.21 — 108 business 5. Government motions 52.27 0.21 15.41 a European Union documents b Business motions 0.59 — — 108 c General motions 28.54 0.20 5.08 109 d General debates 22.34 0.01 10.33 110 6. Opposition business 110.08 5.18 18.28 a Opposition days 110.08 5.18 18.28 110 b Opposition motions in Government time 7. Backbench business 121.43 2.51 1.41 113 8. Private Members’ business (other than 87.24 42.00 3.29 bills) a Substantive motions 0.33 — — 114 b Ten-minute rule motions 11.03 — 0.46 115 c S.O. No. 24 debates 6.33 — — 116 d Daily Adjournment Debates 69.15 42.00 2.43 116 iii Part Contents Duration After Exit Page appoin- related ted time 9. Estimates 15.31 0.19 — 119 10. Money Resolutions 11. Ways and Means 21.05 1.44 — 120 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 5.29 0.43 — 120 13. Negative Statutory Instruments 14. Business when no Question before House 306.01 2.41 22.41 a Questions 104.40 — 3.55 120 b Topical Questions 25.53 — 1.29 125 c Urgent Questions 43.38 — — 127 d Statements 67.37 — 16.44 131 e Business Statements 32.30 — — 133 f Select Committee Statement 2.38 — 0.20 134 g S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.46 — 0.10 134 h Points of order 10.00 0.33 0.03 134 i Public petitions 2.37 1.11 — 143 j Miscellaneous 13.45 0.57 — 147 k Speech limits 2.00 — — 148 15. Daily prayers 11.43 — — 150 III Diary for Westminster Hall 151 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 431.41 — 25.46 1. Private Members 331.21 — 20.15 a Private Members’ Debates 267.07 — 17.38 178 b Private Members’ (Backbench Business 64.14 — 2.37 184 Committee recommended) Debates 2. Backbench Debates 3. Committee Debates 28.39 — — 185 4. Questions 5. Petitions 46.55 — 5.31 185 6. Committee Statements 7. Suspensions 24.19 — — 186 8. Miscellaneous 0.08 — — 188 9. Speech limits 0.19 — — 188 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 1. Wednesday 18 May 2016 11.25 Prayers 0.05 11.30 Message from the Queen; Suspension 3.00 14.30 Speaker’s Statement: Conduct and practice 0.05 14.35 Address [1st day] 0.56 15.31 Point of Order: Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Custom of giving way in speeches over 20 0.01 minutes long 15.32 Address [1st day] [Resumed] 6.09 21.41 Adjournment: Hannah Bardell: Aviation noise 0.32 0.13 22.13 House rose [Totals for session: 10.48; 0.13] 10.48 0.13 2. Thursday 19 May 2016 09.30 Prayers 0.04 09.34 Business Statement: Leader of the House (Chris Grayling) 0.39 10.13 Urgent Question: Steve Double (asking); Minister for Schools (Mr Nick Gibb) 0.25 (answering): Term-time holidays 10.38 Statement: Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt): Junior Doctors 0.56 Contract 11.34 Speaker’s Statement: Election of the Chair of Backbench Business Committee 0.03 11.37 Address [2nd day] 4.36 16.13 Government motion: Chris Grayling: Committee on Standards (Lay Members) 0.03 16.16 Public Petition: William Wragg: Closure of Lloyds Bank in Bredbury 0.01 16.17 Adjournment: Oliver Dowden: Detention of Kamal Foroughi in Iran 0.33 16.50 House rose [Totals for session: 18.08; 0.13] 7.20 0.00 3. Monday 23 May 2016 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Urgent Question: Keith Vaz (asking); Minister for Community and Social Care 0.23 (Alistair Burt) (answering): Dietary advice and childhood obesity strategy 14.58 Urgent Question: Mr Bernard Jenkin (asking); Financial Secretary to the Treasury 0.40 (Mr David Gauke) (answering): UK economy: post-referendum assessment 15.38 Address [3rd day] 1.03 16.41 Speech Limit: Madam Deputy Speaker (Natascha Engel): 10 minutes 0.00 16.41 Address [3rd day] [Resumed] 3.19 20.00 Speech Limit: Madam Deputy Speaker (Natascha Engel): 8 minutes 0.00 20.00 Address [3rd day] [Resumed] 2.00 22.00 Adjournment: John Glen: Advertising Standards Authority 0.28 0.28 22.28 House rose [Totals for session: 26.06; 0.41] 7.58 0.28 2 SESSION 2016–17 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 4. Tuesday 24 May 2016 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 0.45 12.20 Topical Questions: Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 0.15 12.35 Urgent Question: Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (asking); Minister for Defence 0.35 Procurement (Mr Philip Dunne) (answering): Yemen: cluster ammunitions 13.10 Statement: Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon): Counter-Daesh 0.51 quarterly update 14.01 Address [4th day] 2.23 16.24 Speech Limit: Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle): 5 minutes 0.00 16.24 Address [4th day] [Resumed] 1.46 18.10 Speech Limit: Madam Deputy Speaker (Natascha Engel): 4 minutes 0.00 18.10 Address [4th day] [Resumed] 0.12 18.22 Speech Limit: Madam Deputy Speaker (Natascha Engel): 3 minutes 0.00 18.22 Address [4th day] [Resumed] 0.37 18.59 Speaker’s Statement: Election of the Chair of Backbench Business Committee 0.01 19.00 Adjournment: Michael Dugher: Budget for community pharmacies 0.29 0.29 19.29 House rose [Totals for session: 34.05; 1.10] 7.59 0.29 5. Wednesday 25 May 2016 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Wales 0.31 12.06 Questions: Prime Minister 0.36 12.42 Points of Order: Anne Main: Quality of Government responses to PQs 0.08 Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: Clarification on Government position on UK arms deal with Saudi Arabia Maggie Throup: Conduct of an MP Ian Blackford: Advice on contacting Home Secretary 12.50 Address [5th day] 1.26 14.16 Speech Limit: Madam Deputy Speaker (Natascha Engel): 8 minutes 0.00 14.16 Address [5th day] [Resumed] 3.33 17.49 Speech Limit: Mr Speaker: 7 minutes 0.00 17.49 Address [5th day] [Resumed] [Division] 1.25 0.14 19.14 Public Petition: Andrew Gwynne: Development on the former Two Trees High 0.02 0.02 School site, Denton 19.16 Adjournment: Mrs Flick Drummond: Battle of Jutland Cemetery 0.29 0.29 19.45 House rose [Totals for session: 42.20; 1.55] 8.15 0.45 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 6.