1. © House of Lords 2015Thursday 25 June 2015
House of Lords procedure for
primary legislation
Tom Wilson, Legislation Clerk, House of
Lords

2. © House of Lords 2015
Different stages of Bill scrutiny

3. © House of Lords 2015
Lords / Commons procedures
the similarities
• First and Second Reading (but few
votes at Second Reading in the Lords)
• Commitment to Committee of the
Whole House or away from the floor of
the House
• Orders of consideration
• Clauses and schedules stood part at
Committee but not at Report

4. © House of Lords 2015
Lords / Commons procedures:
the differences
• No formal programming of bills:
timetabling is less certain
• Committee stage open to all
members
• No evidence-taking
• No votes in Grand Committee
(and increasingly rare in CWH)

5. © House of Lords 2015
And more differences…
• Decisions on relevance (appeal to the
House)
• No selection of amendments – all
amendments tabled can be debated
• Groupings mutually agreed and non-
binding
• Report Stage amendments - rules
• Third Reading on a separate day –
and amendments can be tabled
(tight rules)

6. © House of Lords 2015
Ping-pong
• Both Houses have to agree on every word of every
Bill
• Ping-pong is how the two Houses resolve their
differences
• Second House sends amended bill back to first
House
• First House has three options on each amendment:
– Agree with the amendment
– Disagree with the amendment (reason given)
– Propose something else (e.g. amendment in
lieu)
• Packaging
• Key is to avoid “Double Insistence”