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Last updated: 08 June 2010
First Parliamentary Counsel and Permanent Secretary
Second Parliamentary Counsel
Also known as the 1932 Public Accounts Committee Concordat. As a matter of constitutional propriety, convention requires legislation for any significant and continuous commitment to expenditure of public funds: see Annex 2.1 of Managing Public Money [External PDF, 205 pages, 951KB].
For example, Consolidated Fund Bills and Finance Bills. (See Erskine May, 23rd edn, p567-8).
Where a Bill is carried over from one Session to another. In practice what happens is that the Bill is reintroduced in the next Session but standing orders, or a special resolution, provide for it to be proceeded with in the first House in the second Session from the point it reached in the first Session.
If the Commons disagree with a Lords amendment, and do not offer an alternative, a Committee (with a Government majority including the Minister) is appointed to draw up “reasons for the disagreement”. This is the “Commons reasons committee”. It meets in a room behind the Speaker’s Chair immediately after the end of the consideration stage that has resulted in the disagreement. There are Lords reasons committees in similar circumstances; but because they are usually giving reasons for disagreeing with Government proposals, the drafter is not involved.
A consolidation Bill is a Bill that re-enacts different statutory provisions without changing the law or with only the changes that will facilitate the re-enactment or which are recommended by the Law Commission. Such Bills are usually drafted by Parliamentary Counsel at the Law Commission and go through a special expedited procedure. For that reason they do not need to be treated in the same way as Bills which are part of the political programme of the Government and so are included in the legislative programme.
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950)
Also known as a section 19 statement. This is the Ministerial statement made under section 19(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998, and usually printed on the cover sheet of the Bill. It says either that in the Minister’s opinion the provisions of the Bill are compatible with the Convention rights or that he or she is unable to state that.
The Bill that gives effect to proposals in a Budget. It is a Bill that deals with raising money for central funds, not with spending. It has a scope that is determined by procedural rules not by its contents on introduction.
See “money “and “ways and means” “motions”/”resolutions”.
Government Legal Service
The Leaders of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and the Chief Whips in the two Houses.
Government Whips Office
Bills which are prepared for the Government to be offered to private members for introduction as private members Bills.
Principally the officials of the Public Bill Office in the House of Commons or of the Public Bill Office in the House of Lords, but for some purposes also more senior Clerks within the hierarchy.
This is a complex subject that deals with the case where a public Bill or affirmative instrument strays into the area properly dealt with by private Bill procedure. Very briefly: if a provision is to the detriment of particular persons in a way that does not identify them by reference to a “genuine” class, there are procedural complications.
The Law Officers of the Crown are the Attorney General and the Solicitor General and the Advocate General for Scotland (who is a member of the UK Government). Counsel will normally correspond with the English Law Officers, copying correspondence to the Advocate General wherever appropriate.
Legal Information On-line Network [External website]
This is a Bill that deals with national taxation, public money or loans and their management. It is only considered to be a Money Bill if the Speaker of the House of Commons agrees that it is. As the House of Lords has no power over Money Bills they can gain Royal Assent without the Lords' approval.
Money and ways and means resolutions
Any provisions of a Bill that give rise to a new or increased public expenditure or which impose a charge on the public (eg a tax) cannot be included in a Bill unless the House has agreed a money resolution (for expenditure) or a ways and means resolution (for a charge).
A proposal to a House of Parliament, which (when agreed) becomes a resolution.
Northern Ireland Office.
In the House of Commons, the notice of presentation gives the short and long titles of the Bill and is sent to the House the sitting day before First Reading.
Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
Office of Public Sector Information
Office of the Solicitor to the Advocate General for Scotland
Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel
Public Accounts Committee
The Ministerial Committee of the Cabinet on Parliamentary Business and Legislation. Its terms of reference are to consider lthe Government's Parliamentary Business and implementation of its legislative programme.
The part of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat in Cabinet Office that services PB Committee.
An officials committee consisting of a representative from each of the departments with an interest in the legislative programme.
Pre Budget Report
This refers to the exchange of amendments and resolutions to Bills between the House of Commons and the House of Lords in order to arrive at an agreed text. (See also to-ing and fro-ing). The stages are known as “consideration of Lords amendments” and “consideration of Commons amendments”.
This is a procedure introduced in 2008. Under the system, the question whether the effectiveness of an Act should be reviewed by the relevant departmental select committee is considered by that committee on a memorandum submitted by the department 3 to 5 years after the passing of the Act, and (if appropriate) a review is carried out.
This is the process by which a draft Bill published by the Government for public consultation is considered by a departmental select committee, or by a specially constituted joint committee, as part of the consultation process.
An amendment made automatically on Third Reading in the Lords to negative any taxing or spending provisions of a Bill, or provisions dealing with rates or council tax, which would otherwise infringe the privileges of the House of Commons.
Programming is the process by which proceedings at all stages of a Bill’s passage after Second Reading through the House of Commons are timetabled and the proceedings are brought to a conclusion in accordance with the timetable.
A motion, usually put down in time to be taken immediately after the end of the second reading debate, to bring the Bill within the programming system and to outline the timetable for the Bill.
Programming sub-committee motion
A motion to timetable proceedings (and possibly to provide for the order of consideration) in public Bill Committee.
The main functions of the Public Bill Offices in the House of Commons and the House of Lords are to advise the Speaker or chairman in the Commons or the House in the Lords about the application of the rules of procedure to Bills. Both Offices provide assistance to members in preparing amendments or Private Members Bills and advise them on procedure.
A Bill that affects the private interests or prerogatives of the Crown, the Duchy of Lancaster or of the Duchy of Cornwall is required by Parliamentary rules to be given Queen’s or Prince’s consent. This is something quite different from the Royal Assent that turns the Bill into an Act.
A motion that has been agreed.
This is a provision that keeps a repealed provision alive for certain limited purposes.
A Session of Parliament beginning with a State Opening and Queen’s Speech and ending with a prorogation. Sessions normally begin in November and last for about a year. General elections can result in longer or shorter Sessions. Unless affected by “carry over”, Bills fall if not passed in a Session.
Statutory Instrument
Counsel in the Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel who work on UK Bills to OSAG and therefore to the UK Government.
The part of the Session that falls after the summer recess.
Transfer of Functions Orders under the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975
See "ping pong"
This is a provision that deals with how a case that began under the old law will be treated when the new law comes into force.
This is a provision that specifies that a new provision will have effect for a limited period with modifications (perhaps until the coming into force of some other provision). An example would be a provision that says that until the coming into force of a general increase in penalties effected by some other Act, the reference in a provision of the Bill to a maximum of “12 months imprisonment will have effect as a reference to “6 months”.
The period when Parliamentary business is being finished off between the announcement of a general election and the dissolution of Parliament. Sometimes Bills are rushed through in this period with the agreement of Opposition parties and sometimes with changes to give effect to the terms of that agreement.
Welsh Assembly Government
