Standing Orders (Public Business)

Lord Gardiner of Kimble Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd February 2022 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[The Senior Deputy Speaker]

That the standing orders relating to public business be amended as follows:

Standing Order 52 (Divisions)

Leave out Standing Order 52 and insert:

“52 (1) When, on the Question being put, a division is called for, the member on the Woolsack or in the Chair shall order the Bar to be cleared, and the Clerk will start the division by activating the pass-readers in the division lobbies and the electronic voting system.

(2) Two Tellers shall be appointed by the Contents and two by the Not-contents. Of these, one Teller for the Contents and one for the Not-contents shall be appointed for each division lobby.

(3) After the lapse of three minutes from the time when the Bar is ordered to be cleared, the member on the Woolsack or in the Chair shall again put the Question. If, at this point, Tellers have not been appointed either for the Contents or for the Not-contents, a division cannot take place. The member on the Woolsack or in the Chair shall declare the Question decided in favour of the side which has appointed Tellers.

(4) To cast a vote, a member must present a valid security pass to one of the pass-readers located in the division lobbies, except as otherwise provided for in Standing Orders 24A and 53. Having voted, a member should pass the Tellers as they leave the lobby.

(5) After the lapse of eight minutes from the time when the Bar is ordered to be cleared, or longer at the discretion of the member on the Woolsack or in the Chair, the doors of the Chamber shall be locked, and the member on the Woolsack or in the Chair shall inform the House or the committee of the Question which is the subject of the division.

(6) A member may vote in a division although they did not hear the Question put.”

Standing Order 53 (Votes counted in the House)

Leave out Standing Order 53 and insert:

“53 Any member may, on the ground of infirmity, have the privilege of voting in their place; and the votes of such members and of the member on the Woolsack or in the Chair shall be taken first by the Clerk.”

Standing Order 54 (Voting in wrong lobby)

Leave out Standing Order 54 and insert:

“54 If any member has by mistake voted either Content or Not-content, having intended to vote on the other side, they may go to the Clerk at the Table before the end of the division and request to change their vote. The Clerk will inform the Tellers of the change before the result of the division is announced. Members may not vote in both lobbies.”

Standing Order 63 (Sessional Committees)

Leave out “European Union Committee” and insert the following at the appropriate points in the alphabetical list of sessional committees:

“Built Environment Committee

Environment and Climate Change Committee

European Affairs Committee

Industry and Regulators Committee

Justice and Home Affairs Committee”

Motion agreed.