HOUSE OF COMMONS SESSIONAL DIARY 2002–03 13 November 2002 to 20 November 2003 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 2002–03, 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 2002–03, these times were as follows: Day Monday TuesdayWednesday Thursday Friday To 31 Dec 02 2200 2200 2200 1900 1430 From 1 Jan 03 2200 *1900 *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 1287.15 158.34 1. Addresses other than Prayers 35.57 0.54 64 2. Government bills 415.02 51.40 a Second readings: committed to standing 123.08 4.04 64 committee b Second readings: committal to Committee of 29.30 3.30 65 whole House (wholly or partly) c Second readings: no committal (Consolidation bills) d Committee of the whole House 32.41 5.03 65 e Consideration 131.46 12.04 65 f Third reading 23.25 9.32 66 g Lords amendments 51.53 11.14 67 h Allocation of time motions 18.33 6.00 67 i Committal and carry-over motions 4.06 0.13 69 3. Private Members’ bills 63.02 0.15 a Second readings (and all stages) 35.39 0.10 69 b Later stages 27.23 0.05 70 4. Private bills at time for opposed private business 6.25 0.44 70 5. Government motions 66.45 9.08 a European Union documents 6.10 1.44 70 b Business motions 4.01 0.54 71 c General 56.34 6.30 71 6. Opposition business 136.38 9.23 a Opposition days 130.10 9.23 71 b Opposition motions in Government time 6.28 — 72 7. Private Members’ motions 17.43 1.13 a Substantive motions 6.33 1.13 72 b Ten-minute rule motions 11.10 — 72 8. Adjournment motions 189.33 68.11 a Government 91.04 2.46 73 b Recess 16.40 — 74 c S.O. No. 24 debates d Daily 81.49 65.25 74 9. Estimates 14.20 0.07 78 iii Part Contents Duration After Page appoin- ted time 10. Money Resolutions 2.14 0.24 78 11. Ways and Means 20.29 1.57 78 12. Affirmative Statutory Instruments 18.12 1.20 78 13. Negative Statutory Instruments 14. Business when no Question before House 287.25 13.18 a Questions 134.10 — 79 b Urgent Questions 6.08 — 82 c Statements 89.26 2.15 83 d Business Statements 30.44 — 85 e S.O. No. 24 Applications 0.15 — 86 f Points of order 8.41 0.29 86 g Public petitions 4.27 3.50 95 h Miscellaneous 13.34 6.44 98 15. Daily prayers 13.30 — 99 III Diary for Westminster Hall 100 IV Analysis for Westminster Hall 430.00 — 1. Private Members’ Adjournment Debates 316.03 — 121 2. Government Adjournment Debates 31.32 — 128 3. Liaison Committee Adjournment Debates 59.30 — 128 4. Questions 6.06 — 129 5. Miscellaneous 16.49 — 129 iv PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 1 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 1. Wednesday 13th November 2002 11.25 Prayers 0.05 11.30 Message from the Queen; suspension 3.00 14.30 Government Motion: Sessional Orders 0.06 14.36 Address [1st day] 7.23 21.59 Adjournment: Mr Alistair Carmichael: North Sea Oil and Gas Industry 0.30 0.29 22.29 House rose [Totals for session: 11.04; 0.29] 11.04 0.29 2. Thursday 14th November 2002 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Business Statement 0.37 12.12 Statement: Deputy Prime Minister: Fire Dispute 1.21 13.33 Address [2nd day] 5.27 19.00 Public petition: Mr Alex Salmond: Scottish fishing industry 0.01 0.01 19.01 Adjournment: Judy Mallaber: Local Government Funding (Derbyshire) 0.29 0.29 19.30 House rose [Totals for session: 19.04; 0.59] 8.00 0.30 3. Friday 15th November 2002 09.30 Prayers 0.05 09.35 Address [3rd day] 4.54 14.29 Adjournment: Mr James Clappison: Potters Bar Rail Accident 0.24 0.23 14.53 House rose [Totals for session: 24.27; 1.22] 5.23 0.23 4. Monday 18th November 2002 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Speaker’s statement 0.02 14.37 Questions: Culture, Media and Sport [40 mins]; Church Commissioners and 0.54 Electoral Commission Committee [14 mins] 15.31 Statement: Mr Secretary Smith: Welfare to Work and Benefit Uprating 0.56 16.27 S.O. No. 24 application: Mr Derek Wyatt: Closure of Sheerness ASW steel mill. 0.04 16.31 Points of order Mr George Foulkes; Mr Simon Thomas: Non-participation of 0.02 Scottish National Party Members Andrew Selous: Seeking a statement on fire fighters’ dispute Mr Gary Streeter: Seeking a statement on security breach at Devonport naval base 16.33 Address [4th day] 5.28 0.01 22.01 Adjournment Dr Stephen Ladyman: Mr J. Woodbridge 0.29 0.29 22.30 House rose [Totals for session: 32.27; 1.52] 8.00 0.30 2 SESSIONAL DIARY, 2002–03 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 5. Tuesday 19th November 2002 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Questions: Transport [45 mins]; Cabinet Office [11 mins] 0.56 15.31 Statement: Mr Secretary Blunkett: Sexual Offences Law Reform 0.59 16.30 Address [5th day] 5.45 0.15 22.15 Public Petitions: Dr Brian Iddon: Traditional Medicines Directive 0.06 0.06 Mr Alex Salmond: Importation of dog and cat fur Mr Jim Cunningham: Free bus and rail travel: Uprating of state pensions 22.21 Adjournment: Miss Ann Widdecombe: Madeline Effala 0.24 0.24 22.45 House rose [Totals for session: 40.42; 2.37] 8.15 0.45 6. Wednesday 20th November 2002 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Questions: Deputy Prime Minister [25 mins]; Prime Minister [32 mins] 0.57 15.32 Points of order: Mr Steve Webb: withholding of information from Parliament by 0.06 Government departments Mr Eric Forth: Delivery of written ministerial statements to Library before meeting of House Mr Nicholas Soames: Conduct of Prime Minister during Questions Mr Christopher Chope: Written questions 15.38 Address [6th day] 7.00 0.38 22.38 Public Petitions: Andrew Selous: Health Products 0.02 0.02 22.40 Adjournment: Dr Alan Whitehead: Renewable Energy 0.29 0.29 23.09 House rose [Totals for session: 49.21; 3.46] 8.39 1.09 7. Thursday 21st November 2002 11.30 Prayers 0.05 11.35 Questions: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0.56 12.31 Business Statement 0.47 13.18 EU Documents: Common Fisheries Policy 4.18 17.36 Government Motion: Committee of Selection 0.59 18.35 Suspension 0.15 18.50 Statement: Deputy Prime Minister: Fire Dispute 0.49 0.39 19.39 Adjournment: Mr Andrew Mitchell: Sutton Coldfield Magistrates Court 0.29 0.29 20.08 House rose [Totals for session: 57.59; 4.54] 8.38 1.08 PART I: DIARY FOR HOUSE 3 Time Subject Duration After appoin- ted time 8. Monday 25th November 2002 14.30 Prayers 0.05 14.35 Questions: Work and Pensions 0.55 15.30 Urgent question: Mr Iain Duncan Smith: Progress of the fire fighters’ dispute 0.34 16.04 Statement: Prime Minister: NATO Summit (Prague) 0.35 16.39 Point of order: Mr Gerald Howarth: Delivery of written ministerial statement 0.03 16.42 Government Motion: UN Security Council Resolution 1441 5.35 0.17 22.17 Adjournment: Mr Andrew Rosindell: Gibraltar 0.29 0.29 22.46 House rose [Totals for session: 66.15; 5.40] 8.16 0.46 9.