Before a private bill begins its journey through Parliament, the promoters (the people or organisation(s) who want the bill) have to:
- present a petition for a private bill (a formal request for legislation) to Parliament no later than 27 November each year (or the following Monday if 27 November falls on a weekend)
- submit the bill itself on 21 January (or, if the House isn’t meeting that day, the first day it is meeting after 21 January)
Private bills then go through broadly the same stages in the House of Commons as public bills: first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage and third reading.
First reading and second reading
First reading is a purely formal stage and there’s no chance for a debate. First reading is recorded in the Votes and Proceedings but nothing happens in the House itself.
Second reading is usually scheduled for immediately after Prayers on Monday to Thursday (so just after 2.30pm on Monday, 11.30am on Tuesday and Wednesday, or 9.30am on Thursday). The second reading can’t be debated at this time, but can be agreed formally if no one objects. If a single MP objects, the bill’s progress is blocked. You can block a bill by shouting “object” on the day or you can repeatedly block a bill’s progress by tabling a blocking motion in the Private Bill Office.
If a bill is repeatedly blocked, the Chairman of Ways and Means (the principal Deputy Speaker) will find time for a debate. The debate can usually continue for up to three hours. At the end, there might be a vote on whether the bill should receive a second reading, or the second reading might be agreed without the need for a vote.
Committee stage
The committee stage of a private bill depends on whether any organisations or people who are directly affected by the bill have opposed it by petitioning against it. If they have, the bill is sent to an opposed bill committee, which hears the case from the promoters of the bill and the petitioners against it. If there are no petitions against the bill, it’s sent to an unopposed bill committee.
Report stage and third reading
At report stage, you can object to amendments made in committee, or you can propose new amendments and so can the promoters of the bill. There’s no report stage if the bill hasn’t been amended in committee. Third reading is the final stage.
Report stage and third reading can be purely formal if no MP objects, but if they do the bill’s progress is blocked. As with second reading, bills persistently blocked are eventually set down for debate by the Chairman of Ways and Means.
If the bill started in the House of Commons, it then has to go through the same stages in the House of Lords. People or organisations who petitioned against the bill in the Commons can do so again in the Lords. The Commons and Lords must agree on the text of the bill, so each House must consider any amendments made by the other House. When both Houses are agreed, the bill can receive Royal Assent and become an Act of Parliament.
Carry over
If a private bill hasn’t been agreed by the end of a session, a motion can be tabled in each House to suspend it and carry it over to the new session. If a private bill hasn’t been suspended, it can still be reintroduced in the new session using a revival motion in each House. In both cases, if the motions are agreed, the bill can continue its journey at whatever stage it reached in the previous session. If the motions aren’t agreed, the bill falls or has to start again in the new session.