PROCESSES USED FOR LAW MAKING

What are the parliamentary stages of a bill

First reading

Second reading

The committee

The report stage

Third reading

The Lords

Royal assent

What is the first reading?

The government introduces the bill into the commons where it receives a formal announcement.

Moves onto the second reading.

What is the second reading?

During the second reading, the main principles are considered ad debated by the whole House of Commons and another vote is taken.

Moves onto the committee stage.

What is the committee stage?

The bill gets examined in detail, by a small committee made up of MPs. They will report back to the House of Commons and often propose amendments to the bill.

Moves to the report stage

What is the report stage?

The report stage gives MPs an opportunity to consider the committee’s report and to debate and vote on any more amendments they might want to make to the bill.

Moves on to the third reading

What is the third reading?

Report stage is followed immediately by a third reading of the bill and is the final chance for the Commons to debate the bill’s contents. No amendments are allowed at this stage.

Moves to the lords

What is the lords?

After the third reading, the bill goes to the House of Lords where it goes through the same processes as it does in the House of Commons. Lords can amend the bill and if they do, it must return to the House of Commons so MPs can decide whether to accept or reject the Lords’ amendments.

Moves to Royal Assent

What is Royal Assent?

Once the bill has been assed by both the Houses of Parliament, it goes to the monarch for signing and is the monarch’s agreement to make the bill into an Act of Parliament or law and is a formality.

What are green papers?

Before putting a Bill before parliament, the government publishes a green paper which is an inital report to provoke public discussion of the subject.

What is a white paper?

A document setting out detailed plans for legislation which includes a draft version of the bill that is intended to be put before parliament.