HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2015–16 18 May 2015 to 12 May 2016 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 2015–16, 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 2015–16, 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. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS AND TOTALS Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time I Diary for House 1 II Analysis for House 1215.03 115.03 1. Addresses other than Prayers 39.17 4.01 96 2. Government bills 289.46 25.17 a Second readings: committed to public bill 71.30 3.54 96 committee b Second readings: committal to Committee of 31.01 2.10 97 whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation — — bills) d Committee of the whole House 57.57 5.19 97 e Consideration 87.08 8.59 98 f Third reading 11.45 1.59 99 g Lords amendments 24.33 2.56 99 h Allocation of time motions 0.58 — 100 i Other stages 4.54 — 100 3. Private Members’ bills 61.29 0.23 a Second readings (and all stages) 49.38 0.23 100 b Later stages 11.51 — 101 4. Private bills at time for opposed private business 2.42 0.49 101 5. Government motions 60.00 13.09 a European Union documents 4.07 1.25 101 b Business motions 0.04 — 102 c General motions 43.30 11.44 102 d General debates 12.19 — 102 6. Opposition business 125.12 4.47 a Opposition days 125.12 4.47 103 b Opposition motions in Government time — — 7. Backbench business 130.19 0.12 105 8. Private Members’ business (other than bills) 97.54 59.41 a Substantive motions 1.06 — 107 b Ten-minute rule motions 11.14 — 107 c S.O. No. 24 debates 11.34 — 109 d Daily Adjournment Debates 74.00 59.41 109 9. Estimates 8.56 0.15 113 10. Money Resolutions 0.58 — 113 iii Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time 11. Ways and Means 46.09 2.20 113 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 7.27 2.15 114 13. Negative Statutory Instruments 0.22 — 114 14. Business when no Question before House 332.09 1.54 a Questions 109.52 — 114 b Topical Questions 25.57 — 118 c Urgent Questions 47.39 — 121 d Statements 82.50 — 124 e Business Statements 32.27 — 127 f Select Committee Statement 2.15 — 128 g S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.25 — 128 h Points of order 12.08 0.39 128 i Public petitions 1.58 1.15 141 j Miscellaneous 16.38 — 143 15. Daily prayers 12.23 — 147 III Diary for Westminster Hall 149 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 461.20 — 175 1. Private Members 399.15 — a Private Members’ Adjournment Debates 342.25 — 175 b Private Members’ (Backbench Business 56.50 — 182 Committee recommended) Adjournment Debates 2. Liaison Committee Adjournment Debates 4.08 — 183 3. Petitions 38.01 — 183 4. Suspensions 19.56 — 183 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 1. Monday 18 May 2015 14.30 Message to attend the Lords Commissioners; Suspension 0.17 14.47 Election of a Speaker 0.26 15.13 House rose [Totals for session: 0.43; 0.00] 0.43 0.00 2. Tuesday 19 May 2015 14.40 Message to attend the Lords Commissioners; Suspension; Approbation of 0.20 Speaker; Speaker’s Statement 15.00 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 2.20 17.20 Suspension 0.40 18.00 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.51 18.51 House rose [Totals for session: 4.54; 0.00] 4.11 0.00 3. Wednesday 20 May 2015 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 1.43 13.18 House rose [Totals for session: 6.42; 0.00] 1.48 0.00 4. Thursday 21 May 2015 09.30 Prayers 0.05 09.35 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.44 10.19 Suspension 0.56 11.15 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.16 11.31 House rose [Totals for session: 8.43; 0.00] 2.01 0.00 5. Tuesday 26 May 2015 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.23 14.58 Suspension 0.22 15.20 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.10 15.30 House rose [Totals for session: 9.43; 0.00] 1.00 0.00 2 SESSION 2015–16 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 6. Wednesday 27 May 2015 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Message from the Queen; Suspension 2.40 14.15 Members taking the Oath or making the Affirmation 0.15 14.30 Speaker’s Statement: Duties and responsibilities of Members 0.04 14.34 Address [1st day] 1.56 16.30 Points of order: Alex Salmond: Attempt to change Standing Orders to restrict 0.03 voting rights of members John Redwood: Changes to Standing Orders outlined in the Gracious Speech Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Historical case of House limiting voting rights 16.33 Address [1st day] [Resumed] 5.27 3.00 22.00 Adjournment: Mr Richard Bacon: Zero-hours Contracts 0.27 0.27 22.27 House rose [Totals for session: 20.40; 3.27] 10.57 3.27 7. Thursday 28 May 2015 0.31 0.31 09.30 Prayers 0.04 09.34 Speaker’s Statement: Changes to Standing Orders 0.02 09.36 Business Statement: Leader of the House 0.52 10.28 Urgent Question: Stephen Phillips (asking); Secretary of State for Culture, Media 0.33 and Sport (Mr John Whittingdale) (answering): Indictment against FIFA Officials 11.01 Point of Order: Alec Shelbrooke: Consequences and powers of the Speaker when 0.02 individuals in the House are being targeted after encouragement from Members 11.03 Address [2nd day] 5.48 16.51 Adjournment: Alex Salmond: HM Naval Base Clyde 0.39 0.30 17.30 House rose [Totals for session: 28.40; 3.57] 8.00 0.30 8. Monday 1 June 2015 0.26 0.26 14.30 Prayers 0.04 14.34 Urgent Question: Chris Bryant (asking); Secretary of State for Culture, Media and 0.31 Sport (Mr John Whittingdale) (answering): FIFA 15.05 Address [3rd day] 6.55 22.00 Adjournment: Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: Upland Farming 0.29 0.29 22.29 House rose [Totals for session: 36.39; 4.26] 7.59 0.29 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 9. Tuesday 2 June 2015 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Speaker’s Statement: Death of Rt. Hon. Charles Kennedy 0.02 11.37 Questions: Health 0.44 12.21 Topical Questions: Health 0.15 12.36 Address [4th day] 6.24 19.00 Adjournment: Mr Graham Allen: Child Sexual Abuse 0.28 0.28 19.28 House rose [Totals for session: 44.37; 4.54] 7.58 0.28 10. Wednesday 3 June 2015 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Speaker’s Statement: Private Members’ Bills and Deputy Speakers ballots 0.01 11.36 Questions: International Development 0.25 12.01 Questions: Prime Minister 0.33 12.34 Tributes: Charles Kennedy 1.13 13.47 Address [5th day] 1.15 15.02 Speaker’s Statement: Results of Deputy Speaker election 0.03 15.05 Address [5th day] [Resumed] [Division] 4.12 0.17 19.17 Government Motion: Select Committees 0.59 0.59 20.16 Adjournment: Jeremy Lefroy: Health Services in Staffordshire 0.26 0.26 20.42 House rose [Totals for session: 53.49; 6.36] 9.12 1.42 11.