MPs' Guide to Procedure

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Find guidance on temporary procedures during the pandemic including voting, questions and statements. Members can find detailed guidance on participating virtually and voting on the Parliamentary intranet (please note: this link will only work if you have a parliamentary email account.)

Presentation Bills

A Presentation Bill is unlikely to become law, but is a way of drawing attention to an issue that requires a change in the law.

Presenting the bill is a purely formal event and you will not be able to speak to the House about it. The bill will be listed on the Order Paper and its presentation will be recorded in Hansard and the Votes and Proceedings.

You can apply for a presentation bill in the Public Bill Office from 10am on any day the House is meeting after the fifth Wednesday of the session. A session starts with the Queen’s Speech.

You can present a bill on any day the House is meeting. You can present more than one bill on the same day.

There can’t be a vote on a Presentation Bill, because the House isn’t being asked to decide anything about it. In effect, the presentation simply announces the bill’s existence to the House of Commons.