HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2005–06 11 May 2005 to 8 November 2006 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 2005–06, 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 2005–06, 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 appoin- ted time I Diary for House 1 II Analysis for House 1527.07 118.05 79 1. Addresses other than Prayers 40.48 1.00 79 2. Government bills 631.27 22.32 a Second readings: committed to standing 187.28 2.24 79 committee b Second readings: committal to Committee of 50.53 1.28 81 whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation — — bills) d Committee of the whole House 77.18 2.46 81 e Consideration 199.51 4.37 82 f Third reading 34.53 2.26 83 g Lords amendments 70.29 5.41 84 h Allocation of time motions 7.29 2.31 85 i Committal and carry-over motions 3.06 0.39 86 3. Private Members’ bills 58.02 0.21 a Second readings (and all stages) 40.52 0.18 86 b Later stages 17.10 0.03 87 4. Private bills at time for opposed private business — — 5. Government motions 42.17 1.43 a European Union documents 8.05 0.45 87 b Business motions 1.15 — 87 c General 32.57 0.58 87 6. Opposition business 129.58 6.32 a Opposition days 129.58 6.32 88 b Opposition motions in Government time — — 7. Private Members’ motions 22.19 3.03 a Substantive motions 7.29 3.03 89 b Ten-minute rule motions 14.50 — 89 8. Adjournment motions 283.13 72.26 a Government 103.00 1.19 91 b Recess 25.05 0.42 92 c S.O. No. 24 debates 3.16 — 92 d Daily 107.02 70.25 92 9. Estimates 15.42 0.03 96 iii Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time 10. Money Resolutions 0.54 0.14 97 11. Ways and Means 22.27 1.03 97 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 18.09 1.04 97 13. Negative Statutory Instruments — — 14. Business when no Question before House 334.41 8.04 a Questions 176.42 — 98 b Urgent Questions 7.34 — 102 c Statements 81.39 0.54 103 d Business Statements 38.25 — 106 e S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.11 — 107 f Points of order 7.07 0.28 107 g Public petitions 4.44 3.30 118 h Miscellaneous 18.19 3.12 121 15. Daily prayers 17.00 123 III Diary for Westminster Hall 123 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 532.11 — 1. Private Members’ Adjournment Debates 398.39 — 150 2. Government Adjournment Debates 44.45 — 159 3. Liaison Committee Adjournment Debates 65.40 — 160 4. Questions — — 5. Miscellaneous 23.07 — 161 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 1. Wednesday 11th May 2005 14.30 Message to attend the Lords Commissioners; Suspension 0.16 14.46 Election of a Speaker 0.33 15.19 House rose [Totals for session: 0.49; 0.00] 0.49 0.00 2. Thursday 12th May 2005 11.00 Message to attend the Lords Commissioners; Suspension; Approbation of 1.59 Speaker; Speaker’s statement; Members taking the oath 12.59 Suspension 1.01 14.00 Members taking the oath 1.08 15.08 Suspension 0.22 15.30 Members taking the oath 0.33 16.03 House rose [Totals for session: 5.52; 0.00] 5.03 0.00 3. Monday 16th May 2005 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Members taking the oath 0.58 15.33 Suspension 0.57 16.30 Members taking the oath 0.36 17.06 House rose [Totals for session: 8.28; 0.00] 2.36 0.00 4. Tuesday 17th May 2005 11.25 Prayers 0.05 11.30 Message from the Queen; Suspension 3.00 14.30 Members taking the oath 0.08 14.38 Miscellaneous: Speaker’s Statement [duties and responsibilities of Members] 0.06 14.44 General Government Motion: Sessional Orders [Metropolitan Police] 0.02 14.46 Address [1st day] 7.06 21.52 Adjournment: Mr David Amess: Census 2001 (Southend) 0.36 0.28 22.28 House rose [Totals for session: 19.31; 0.28] 11.03 0.28 5. Wednesday 18th May 2005 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Members taking the oath 0.01 11.36 Point of Order: Mr Eric Forth: availability of information to Members of the 0.13 House. 11.49 Address [2nd day] 6.26 18.15 Adjournment: Bob Russell: Wild Flowers 0.34 18.49 House rose [Totals for session: 26.50; 0.28] 7.19 0.00 2 SESSIONAL DIARY, 2005–06 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 6. Thursday 19th May 2005 10.30 Prayers 0.05 10.35 Business Statement 0.25 11.00 Point of Order: Mr Patrick McLoughlin: asking whether the annunciator 0.01 monitors were working in all parts of the estate. 11.01 Members taking the oath 0.09 11.10 Address [3rd day] 6.49 17.59 Adjournment: Mr Graham Allen: Travellers 0.30 0.29 18.29 House rose [Totals for session: 34.49; 0.57] 7.59 0.29 7. Monday 23rd May 2005 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Members taking the oath 0.03 14.38 Questions: Home Department 0.53 15.31 Points of Order: Miss Anne McIntosh: seeking advice on asking questions of the 0.03 Advocate-General for Scotland. Miss Julie Kirkbride: wanting advice as to how she can ensure a report into the collapse of MG Rover is published by the Government. 15.34 Address [4th day] 6.24 21.58 Adjournment: David Taylor: School Meals 0.32 0.30 22.30 House rose [Totals for session: 42.49; 1.27] 8.00 0.30 8. Tuesday 24th May 2005 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Members taking the oath 0.03 14.38 Questions: Transport (45); Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (10) 0.56 15.34 Member taking the oath 0.01 15.35 Address [5th day] [Division] 6.42 0.17 22.17 Affirmative Statutory Instruments: Draft Tax Information Exchange 0.25 0.25 Agreement (Taxes on Income) (Aruba) Order 2005; Draft Tax Information Exchange Agreement (Taxes on Income) (Netherlands Antilles) Order 2005; Draft Tax Information Exchange Agreement (Taxes on Income) (Virgin Islands) Order 2005; Draft Tax Information Exchange Agreement (Taxes on Income) (Montserrat) Order 2005. 22.42 Adjournment: Miss Ann Widdecombe: Russell Clamp 0.25 0.25 23.07 House rose [Totals for session: 51.26; 2.34] 8.37 1.07 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 9. Wednesday 25th May 2005 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: International Development (27); Prime Minister (28) 0.55 12.30 Points of Order: Pete Wishart: asking why an amendment had not appeared on 0.07 the Order Paper. Mr Barry Sheerman: wanting the Speaker to comment on the conduct of some Members. Mrs Caroline Spelman; Simon Hughes: expressing concern that Ministers had made announcements in the press before making statements in the House. Mr Michael Fabricant: complaining that the amplification system in the Chamber was not working. 12.37 Address [6th Day] [Divisions] 7.06 0.43 19.43 Ways and Means: Budget Resolutions 0.01 0.01 19.44 Adjournment: Keith Vaz: European Union 0.30 0.30 20.14 House rose [Totals for session: 60.10; 3.48] 8.44 1.14 10.