Britain: An official handbook > 1966

38
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Legislation
possible) in such a way as to avoid change and leave the question to be debated
on another occasion. The procedure on voting in the House of Lords is
similar to that in the House of Commons, but the Speaker or chairman has
no casting vote. With the exception of questions relating to Bills and delegated
legislation, the House of Lords is governed by the principle that unless there
is a majority in favour, the question is decided in the negative. When the
House is sitting judicially (see pp. 83 and 86) the question is put in such a
way that, if the votes were equal, there would be no interference with the
order under appeal.
All proceedings of either House are public, except on extremely rare
occasions; the minutes (in the House of Commons called Notes and Pro¬
ceedings) and the speeches (Parliamentary Debates, Hansard) are published
daily.
Legislation can be initiated from either side of either House; but no Bill
involving taxation or the spending of public money can proceed very far
unless the Government agrees to introduce a ‘financial resolution’ to cover it.
This has the effect of giving the Government exclusive rights over a wide
field of legislation, and as a result most Public Bills are presented by the
Government. However, private members (i.e. members of the House who
are not office holders in the Government) can introduce Public Bills on their
own initiative, and such Bills can be debated on certain days expressly set
aside for the purpose in each session.1 Peers can introduce Public Bills in the
House of Lords at any time during a session without notice. In addition,
persons and bodies outside Parliament can promote Private Bills relating solely
to matters of individual, corporate or local interest.
Bills may originate in either House, unless they deal with finance or
representation when they are always introduced in the Commons. As a rule,
however, Bills likely to raise political controversy go through the Commons
before the Lords, while those of an intricate but uncontroversial nature are
frequently introduced and fully debated in the Lords before being sent to
the Commons.
The process of passing a Public Bill is basically the same in the House of
Lords as in the House of Commons. The Bill receives a formal First Reading
on introduction; it is then printed; and after a period of time (which varies
between one day and several weeks depending on the nature of the Bill) it
may be given a Second Reading after the result of a debate on its general
merits or principles. In the Commons, it is then referred for detailed
examination either to a standing committee or, if the House so decides, to
the whole House sitting in committee; and, in the Lords, to a committee of
the whole House. When the committee stage is finished, the Bill is reported
to the House, and a further stage takes place during which the committee s
amendments may be altered, additional amendments may be suggested and
incorporated, and, if necessary, the Bill may be recommitted to committee.
Finally, it is submitted for a Third Reading and, if passed, is sent on from
the Commons to the Lords or from the Lords to the Commons (depending
on its place of origin), where it enters on the same course again. Any amend¬
ments which the second House makes to the Bill must be agreed to by the
first House, or a compromise reached, before the Bill becomes law.
1 Private members may propose a Bill after question time on notice given, or seek leave
to introduce a Bill under the ‘Ten Minute Rule’, i.e. the Standing Order which allows
a brief speech proposing and another opposing the introduction of the Bill before the
House decides whether or not to grant leave.