HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2007–08 6 November 2007 to 26 November 2008 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 2007–08, 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 (and are not itemised in the analysis), and the time at which the House rose is taken from the Votes and Proceedings. (d) Periods of suspension are included in the total sitting time, and are listed in section 14h 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 5. (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 2007–08, these times were as follows: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 2200 2200 *1900 1800 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 appointed time I Diary for House 1 II Analysis for House 1306.26 119.26 1. Addresses other than Prayers 37.42 0.58 81 2. Government bills 373.36 27.26 a Second readings: committed to standing 86.25 1.47 81 committee b Second readings: committal to Committee of 29.22 1.16 82 whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation bills) d Committee of the whole House 79.20 12.49 82 e Consideration 117.06 5.35 83 f Third reading 15.40 3.09 84 g Lords amendments 38.29 1.59 84 h Allocation of time motions 7.14 0.51 85 i Committal and carry-over motions 3. Private Members’ bills 61.57 0.19 a Second readings (and all stages) 49.23 0.19 85 b Later stages 12.34 — 86 4. Private bills at time for opposed private business 7.55 1.04 86 5. Government motions 215.17 4.15 a European Union documents 5.35 0.11 87 b Business motions 10.36 0.44 87 c General 64.35 3.20 87 d General debates 98.49 — 88 e Topical debates 35.42 — 89 6. Opposition business 131.53 7.51 a Opposition days 131.53 7.51 89 b Opposition motions in Government time — — — 7. Private Members’ motions 18.47 — a Substantive motions 7.56 — 90 b Ten-minute rule motions 10.51 — 91 8. Adjournment motions 103.03 58.29 a Government — — — b Recess 16.12 — 92 c S.O. No. 24 debates 3.14 — 92 iii Part Contents Duration After Page appointed time d Daily 83.37 58.29 92 9. Estimates 19.21 0.07 96 10. Money Resolutions 0.22 0.22 96 11. Ways and Means 24.31 1.13 96 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 24.56 6.42 97 13. Negative Statutory Instruments 2.42 2.40 97 14. Business when no Question before House 270.59 8.00 a Questions 112.57 — 97 b Topical Questions 29.17 — 101 c Urgent Questions 1.16 — 103 d Statements 75.37 — 104 e Business Statements 30.56 — 107 f S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.09 — 108 g Points of order 6.50 0.50 108 h Public petitions 4.24 2.52 120 i Miscellaneous 9.33 4.18 124 15. Daily prayers 13.25 — 124 III Diary for Westminster Hall 125 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 429.43 — 1. Private Members’ Adjournment Debates 329.12 — 146 2. Government Adjournment Debates 22.32 — 153 3. Liaison Committee Adjournment Debates 64.30 — 154 4. Questions — — — 5. Miscellaneous 13.29 — 154 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appointed time 1. Tuesday 6th November 2007 11.25 Prayers 0.10 11.35 Message from the Queen; suspension 2.55 14.30 Speaker’s Statement: Duties and responsibilities of Members 0.05 14.35 Address: [1st Day] 7.02 21.37 Adjournment: Tony Cunningham: Romanian and Bulgarian Migrants 0.29 0.06 22.06 House rose [Totals for session: 10.41; 0.06] 10.41 0.06 2. Wednesday 7th November 2007 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Speaker’s Statement: Electronic devices 0.02 11.37 Statement: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David 0.39 Miliband): Pakistan 12.16 Address: [2nd Day]: Home Affairs and Justice 6.03 18.19 Adjournment: Peter Lilley: Land Title Transfers 0.28 18.47 House rose [Totals for session: 17.58; 0.06] 7.17 0.00 3. Thursday 8th November 2007 10.30 Prayers 0.05 10.35 Speaker’s Statement: Time limits on speeches 0.02 10.37 Business Statement: 0.35 11.12 Point of Order: Chris Huhne: apologising for remarks made about the Speaker 0.02 on Newsnight. 11.14 Address: [3rd Day]: Local Government and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 6.46 18.00 Adjournment: Mr David Winnick: Summer Recess (Duration) 0.27 0.27 18.27 House rose [Totals for session: 25.55; 0.33] 7.57 0.27 4. Monday 12th November 2007 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Questions: Children, Schools and Families 0.43 15.18 Topical Questions: Children, Schools and Families 0.17 15.35 Points of Order: Sir Patrick Cormack: asking whether it was in order for a Select 0.02 Committee to hear evidence from its Chairman Dr Julian Lewis: asking whether it was acceptable for a Government Department to provide a one word answer to a written question. 15.37 Address: [4th Day]: Foreign Affairs and Defence 6.23 22.00 Adjournment: Mr Mark Todd: Public Information (Commercial Use) 0.30 0.30 22.30 House rose [Totals for session: 33.55; 1.03] 8.00 0.30 2 SESSIONAL DIARY, 2007–08 Time Subject Duration After appointed time 5. Tuesday 13th November 2007 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Questions: Health 0.40 15.15 Topical Questions: Health 0.16 15.31 Statement: Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jacqui Smith): Security 0.42 Industry Authority 16.13 Statement: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary 0.30 Benn): Avian Influenza 16.43 Point of Order: Mike Penning: asking about a written question that had not been 0.01 responded to. 16.44 Address: [5th Day]: Health and Education 1.07 17.51 Points of Order: Mr Lansley; Mr Patrick McLoughlin: asking the Secretary of 0.05 State for Children, Schools and Families to withdraw a remark about the Opposition failing to open the debate and seeking to clarify the process for deciding such matters. 17.56 Address: [5th Day]: Health and Education [resumed] [Division] 4.22 0.18 22.18 Public Petitions: Andrew Selous: Planning (Leighton Buzzard) 0.05 0.05 Mr Roger Gale: Post Office Closures (Thanet); Post Office Closures (Thanet) Danny Alexander: Post Office Closures (Boat of Garten) Greg Clark: Post Office Closures (St John’s Road); Post Office Closures (Bidborough) 22.23 House rose [Totals for session: 41.48; 1.26] 7.53 0.23 6. Wednesday 14th November 2007 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Northern Ireland (27); Prime Minister (30) 0.56 12.31 Statement: The Prime Minister (Mr Gordon Brown): National Security 1.05 13.36 Point of Order: Mr Andrew Robathan: asking the Secretary of State for Children, 0.03 Schools and Families to correct a figure cited in the previous day’s debate relating to school funding. 13.39 Address: [6th Day]: The Economy and Pensions 3.39 17.18 Point of Order: Caroline Flint: seeking to clarify a fact relating to disability 0.02 living allowance. 17.20 Address: [6th Day]: The Economy and Pensions [resumed] [Divisions] 2.20 0.40 19.40 Point of Order: Mike Penning: asking why copies of written ministerial 0.02 0.02 statements were not available in the Vote Office. 19.42 Petition: Mr John Heppell: Post Office Closures (Nottingham) 0.01 0.01 19.43 Adjournment: John McDonnell: HM Submarine Affray 0.30 0.30 20.13 House rose [Totals for session: 50.31; 2.39] 8.43 1.13 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appointed time 7.