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Last updated: 26 January 2010
1.1 This Guide has been prepared by the Secretariat to Legislation Committee of Cabinet (referred to in this Guide as Legislation Secretariat and Legislation Committee), with the advice of Parliamentary Counsel and the Offices of the Commons Chief Whip, Lords Chief Whip, Leader of the House of Commons, Leader of the House of Lords and the Public Bill Offices of both Houses. It replaces the version published in 2004 and incorporates material from the old Bill Manager's Toolkit.
1.2 It covers the procedures to be followed in preparing primary legislation and taking it through Parliament, setting out what is required of Bill teams at each stage of the process from bidding for a slot in the legislative programme to gaining Royal Assent. We hope it is comprehensive and answers the most commonly asked questions, but it should not be regarded as an authoritative statement of Parliamentary practice. Parliamentary Counsel (who may in turn consult the House authorities) or the Public Bill Offices should always be consulted on matters of Bill procedure.
1.3 The Guide is written with the needs of departmental Bill teams (including legal advisors) and policy officials in mind, to help them manage their work effectively throughout the process of preparing legislation and taking it through Parliament. It describes the main features of the normal legislative process, but cannot cover every possible circumstance: every Bill is different so users should ask themselves at each stage ‘what is needed for this.
1.4 The different stages in preparing legislation and taking it through Parliament are dealt with in chronological order. Bill teams starting out on the process of preparing legislation, particularly those new to Bill work, would be well advised to read through the main sections to familiarise themselves with the tasks ahead and help plan their work effectively. However, it is also designed for officials to consult quickly during the legislative process to identify the key points and actions required at each stage. A summary of key points and list of sources of advice/people to keep informed is provided at the start of each chapter. Within each chapter, hyperlinks direct the reader towards other chapters offering more detail on related topics.
1.5 The main part of the Guide (Sections A-F) deals with conventional Government Bills and will be the sections used by most Bill teams. Bill teams should ensure that they familiarise themselves with procedures for both the Commons (Section C) and the Lords (Section E) before the Bill is introduced to Parliament.
1.6 Section G deals with certain “special cases”, namely Hybrid Bills, Consolidation Bills and Tax Law Rewrite Bills. Section H deals with Private Members' Bills and will be of use to departmental Parliamentary Clerks and to policy officials and Private Secretaries advising and supporting Ministers responsible for responding on behalf of Government to Private Members' Bills, particularly where the Government is supporting a Private Member's Bill.
1.7 This Guide does not cover:
1.8 This electronic version of the Guide will be reviewed at least annually and where necessary updated or corrected to reflect changes in Parliamentary procedure as they occur. While the Secretariat will always endeavour to alert current Bill teams to relevant changes in procedure, it is strongly recommended that, rather than printing out the whole document, users refer back to the electronic version as and when required, to ensure they are using the most up to date version. Feedback from users of the Guide is welcome, so that layout and content can be improved in future editions, and should be sent to Guy.Horsingon@Cabinet-Office.x.gsi.gov.uk.