Days for

com

mittees of supply and ways and

means.

(7.) At ten of the clock on the last day but one of the days so allotted the chairman shall forthwith put every question necessary to dispose of the vote then under consideration, and shall then forthwith put the question with respect to each class of the civil service estimates that the total amount of the votes outstanding in that class be granted for the services defined in the class, and shall in like manner put severally the questions that the total amounts of the votes outstanding in the estimates for the navy, the army, and the revenue departments be granted for the services defined in those estimates.

(8.) At ten of the clock on the last, not being earlier than the twentieth, of the allotted days, the Speaker shall forthwith put every question necessary to dispose of the report of the resolution then under consideration, and shall then forthwith put, with respect to cach class of the civil service estimates, the question, that the house doth agree with the committee in all the outstanding resolutions reported in respect of that class, and shall then put a like question with respect to all the resolutions outstanding in the estimates for the navy, the army, the revenue departments, and other outstanding resolutions severally.

(9.) On the days appointed for concluding the business of supply, the consideration of that business shall not be anticipated by a motion of adjournment, and no dilatory motion shall be moved on proceedings for that business and the business shall not be interrupted under any standing order.

(10.) Any additional estimate for any new matter not included in the original estimates for the year, shall be submitted for consideration in the committee of supply on some day not later than two days before the committee is closed.

(11.) For the purposes of this order two Fridays shall be deemed equivalent to a single sitting on any other day.

16.-[3rd May, 1861, and 2nd May, 1902.] The committees of supply and ways and means shall be fixed for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and may also be appointed for any other day on which the house shall meet for despatch of business.

When chair 1902]

to be left

without question put.

Order in debate.

17. [27th November, 1882, 7th March, 1888, and 17th February, Whenever the committee of supply stands as an order of the day, Mr. Speaker shall leave the chair without putting any question, unless on first going into supply on the army, navy, or civil service estimates respectively, or on any vote of credit, an amendment be moved, or question raised, relating to the estimates proposed to be taken in supply.

ORDER IN THE HOUSE.

18. [28th February, 1880, 22nd November, 1882, 7th March, 1901, and 17th February, 1902.] (1.) Whenever any member shall have been named by the Speaker, or by the chairman of a committee of the whole house, immediately after the commission of the offence of disregarding the authority of the chair, or of abusing the rules of the house by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the house, or otherwise, then, if the offence has been committed by such member in the

house, the Speaker shall forthwith put the question, on a motion being made, no amendment, adjournment, or debate being allowed, "That such member be suspended from the service of the house;" and, if the offence has been committed in a committee of the whole house, the chairman shall forthwith suspend the proceedings of the committee and report the circumstance to the house; and the Speaker shall on a motion being made thereupon put the same question, without amendment, adjournment, or debate, as if the offence had been committed in the house itself.

(2.) If any member be suspended under this order, his suspension on the first occasion shall continue for one week, on the second eccasion for a fortnight, and on the third, or any subsequent occasion, for a month.

(3.) Provided always, that suspension from the service of the house shall not exempt the member so suspended from serving on any committee for the consideration of a private bill to which he may have been appointed before his suspension.

(4.) Provided also, that not more than one member shall be named at the same time, unless several members, present together, have jointly disregarded the authority of the chair.

(5.) Provided also, that if any member, or members acting jointly, who have been suspended under this order from the service of the house, shall refuse to obey the direction of the Speaker, when severally summoned under the Speaker's orders by the serjeant-at-arms to obey such direction, the Speaker shall call the attention of the house to the fact that recourse to force is necessary in order to compel obedience to his direction, and the member or members named by him as having refused to obey his direction shall thereupon and without further question put, be suspended from the service of the house during the remainder of the session.

(6.) Provided always, that nothing in this resolution shall be taken to deprive the house of the power of proceeding against any member according to ancient usages.

Note. The words printed in erased type were struck out on the 13th February, 1902, but the proceedings on the amendment of the standing order were not resumed after the 17th February, 1902.

tion.

19. [27th November, 1882, and 28th February, 1888.] Mr. Speaker Irrelevance or the chairman, after having called the attention of the house, or of or repetithe committee, to the conduct of a member, who persists in irrelevance, or tedious repetition either of his own arguments, or of the arguments used by other members in debate, may direct him to discontinue his speech.

20. [28th February, 1888.] (1.) Mr. Speaker or the chairman shall Disorderly order members whose conduct is grossly disorderly to withdraw im- conduct. mediately from the house during the remainder of that day's sitting; and the serjeant-at-arms shall act on such orders as he may receive from the chair in pursuance of this resolution. But if, on any occasion, Mr. Speaker or the chairman deems that his powers under this standing order are inadequate, he may name such member or members in pursuance of the standing order "Order in Debate," or he may call upon the house to adjudge upon the conduct of such member or members.

Power of

Speaker to adjourn house or suspend

sitting.

Debate on

ment.

(2.) Provided always, that members who are ordered to withdraw under this standing order, or who are suspended from the service of the house under the standing order" Order in Debate," shall forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the house, subject, however, in the case of such suspended members, to the proviso in that standing order regarding their service on private bill committees.

21.-[17th February, 1902]. In the case of grave disorder arising in the house the Speaker may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the house without question put, or suspend any sitting for a time to be named by him.

ADJOURNMENT AND COUNTING OUT.

22. [27th November, 1882.] When a motion is made for the motions for adjournment of a debate or of the house during any debate, or that adjournthe chairman of a committee do report progress, or do leave the chair, the debate thereupon shall be confined to the matter of such motion; and no member, having moved or seconded any such motion, shall be entitled to move or second any similar motion during the same debate. Motions 23. [27th November, 1882, and 28th February, 1888.] If Mr. Speaker for ad- or the chairman of a committee of the whole house shall be of opinion journment that a motion for the adjournment of a debate, or of the house, during any debate, or that the chairman do report progress, or do leave the chair, is an abuse of the rules of the house, he may forthwith put the question thereupon from the chair, or he may decline to propose the question thereupon to the house.

in abuse of the rules of the house.

Adjournment from Friday to Monday, Counting out.

Closure of debate.

24.-[3rd May, 1861.] While the committees of supply and ways and means are open, the house, when it meets on Friday, shall, at its rising, stand adjourned until the following Monday, without any question being put, unless the house shall otherwise resolve.

25.-[1st May, 1902, and 3rd April, 1906.] The house shall not be counted between a quarter-past eight and a quarter-past nine o'clock, but if on a division taken on any business between a quarter-past eight and a quarter-past nine o'clock it appears that forty members are not present, the business shall stand over until the next sitting of the house, and the next business shall be taken.

CLOSURE OF DEBATE.

26. [18th March, 1887, and 7th March, 1888.] After a question has been proposed, a member rising in his place may claim to move, "That the question be now put," and, unless it shall appear to the chair that such motion is an abuse of the rules of the house, or an infringement of the rights of the minority, the question, "That the question be now put," shall be put forthwith, and decided without amendment or debate.

When the motion," That the question be now put," has been carried, and the question consequent thereon has been decided, any further motion may be made (the assent of the chair as aforesaid not having been withheld) which may be requisite to bring to a decision any question already proposed from the chair; and also if a clause be then under consideration, a motion may be made (the assent of the

chair as aforesaid not having been withheld), That the question, That certain words of the clause defined in the motion stand part of the clause, or That the clause stand part of, or be added to, the bill, be now put. Such motions shall be put forthwith, and decided without amendment or debate.

Provided always, That this rule shall be put in force only when the Speaker or the chairman of ways and means is in the chair.

27. [28th February, 1888.] Questions for the closure of debate Majority for closure. under standing order No. 25 shall be decided in the affirmative, if, when a division be taken, it appears by the numbers declared from the chair, that no less than one hundred members voted in the majority in support of the motion.

DIVISIONS.

28.-[19th July, 1854.] So soon as the voices have been taken, the Turning Clerk shall turn a two-minute sand-glass, to be kept on the table for of twothat purpose, and the door shall not be closed until after the lapse of two minutes, as indicated by such sand-glass.

minute

glass.

29. The doors shall be closed so soon after the lapse of two Time for minutes as the Speaker or the chairman of the committee of the whole closing house shall think proper to direct.

doors.

claimed.

30.-[29th February, 1888.] Mr. Speaker or the chairman may, Divisions after the lapse of two minutes as indicated by the sand-glass, if in his frivolously opinion the division is frivolously or vexatiously claimed, take the vote of the house or committee, by calling upon the members who support and who challenge his decision, successively to rise in their places; and he shall thereupon, as he thinks fit, either declare the determination of the house or committee, or name tellers for a division. And, in case there is no division, the Speaker or chairman shall declare to the house or the committee the number of the minority who had challenged his decision, and their names shall be thereupon taken down in the house, and printed with the list of divisions.

PUBLIC BILLS.

tion or introduc

31.-[5th August, 1853, and 17th February, 1902.] When any bill Presenta shall be presented by a member, in pursuance of an order of this house, or shall be brought from the Lords, the questions, "That this bill tion and be now read a first time," and "That this bill be printed," shall be first readdecided without amendment or debate. ing.

(2.) A member may, if he thinks fit, after notice, present a bill without an order of the house for its introduction; and when a bill is so presented, the title of the bill shall be read by the clerk at the table, and the bill shall then be deemed to have been read a first time, and shall be printed.

32.-[5th August, 1853.] When a bill or other matter (except Procedure supply, or ways and means) has been partly considered in committee, order for on reading and the chairman has been directed to report progress, and ask leave committee. to sit again, and the house shall have ordered that the committee shall sit again on a particular day, the Speaker shall, when the order

Reference

of bills to gether to committee.

Amend

ments in committee.

Postponeinent of

for the committee has been read, forthwith leave the chair, without putting any question, and the house shall thereupon resolve itself into such committee.

33.-[19th July, 1854.] Bills which may be fixed for consideration in committee on the same day, whether in progress or otherwise, may be referred together to a committee of the whole house, which may consider on the same day all the bills so referred to it, without the chairman leaving the chair on each separate bill, provided, that, with respect to any bill not in progress, if any member shall object to its consideration in committee, together with other bills, the order of the day for the committee on such bill shall be postponed.

34.-[19th July, 1854.] It shall be an instruction to all committees of the whole house to which bills may be committed, that they have power to make such amendments therein as they shall think fit; provided they be relevant to the subject-matter of the bill; but that if any such amendments shall not be within the title of the bill, they do amend the title accordingly, and do report the same specially to the house.

35.-27th November, 1882.] In committee on a bill, the preamble shall stand postponed until after the consideration of the clauses, preamble. without question put.

Discontinuance

36. [19th July, 1854.] The questions for reading a bill a first and second time in a committee of the whole house shall be disof first and continued.

second reading 37.-[19th July, 1854.] In going through a bill no questions shall stages in be put for the filling up words already printed in italics, and commonly committee. called blanks, unless exception be taken thereto; and if no alterations have been made in the words so printed in italics, the bill shall be reported without amendments, unless other amendments have been made thereto.

Question not to be put on blanks.

Procedure

38.-[19th July, 1854.] On a clause being offered in the committee on offer of on the bill, or on the consideration of report of a bill, Mr. Speaker or new clause. the chairman shall desire the member to bring up the same, whereupon it shall be read a first time without question put, but no clause shall be offered on consideration of report without notice.

Report of bill.

39.-[5th August, 1853.] At the close of the proceedings of a committee of the whole house on a bill, the chairman shall report the bill forthwith to the house, and when amendments shall have been made thereto, the same shall be received, without debate, and a time appointed for taking the same into consideration.

Considera- 40.-[27th November, 1882.] When the order of the day for the tion of bill consideration of a bill, as amended in the committee of the whole as amended. house, has been read, the house shall proceed to consider the same without question put, unless the member in charge thereof shall desire to postpone its consideration, or a motion shall be made to recommit the bill.

Amend

ments on

report.

Amend

41.-[28th February, 1888.] Upon the report stage of any bill, no amendment may be proposed which could not have been proposed in committee without an instruction from the house.

42. [21st July, 1856.] No amendments, not being merely verbal, ments on shall be made to any bill on the third reading.

third

reading.