Act of Parliament (UK)

Classification of Legislation
– Acts of Parliament are classified as public general acts or local and personal acts.
– Bills are classified as public, private, or hybrid.
– Public general acts affect the public general law applying to everyone in the United Kingdom.
– Local and personal acts apply to a specific locality or legal person.
– Hybrid bills combine elements of both public and private bills.

Types of Legislation
– Public general acts are the largest category of legislation and affect the public general law across the United Kingdom.
– Local and personal acts (private acts) have a local or personal effect, applying differently to specific localities or legal persons.
– Hybrid bills combine elements of both public and private bills.

Introduction and Drafting of Bills
– Government may publish a green paper or a white paper outlining legislative options.
– Increasingly common for Government bills to be published in draft before presentation in Parliament.
– Draft bills allow for more scrutiny and amendments before introduction.
– Sponsoring government department writes to relevant policy committee for discussion.
– Proposals may be bundled together with more substantive measures in the same bill.
– Sponsoring department sends drafting instructions to parliamentary counsel.
– Parliamentary counsel responsible for writing legislation.
– Instructions describe what the bill should do, but not the detail of how it is achieved.
– Legislation must be drafted clearly to minimize legal challenge and fit with existing laws.
– Finished bill must be approved by sponsoring department, minister, parliamentary counsel, and LP.
– Bill is submitted to authorities of the House it will start its legislative journey in.
– Authorities check if the bill complies with the rules of the house.
– Everything in the bill is covered by its long title.
– Provisions requiring expenditure or levying taxes are identified and printed in italics.
– Check for conflicts or duplications with existing bills.

Parliamentary Debate and Voting Process
– First reading is a formality with no debate or vote.
– Second reading is a debate on the general principles of the bill followed by a vote.
– Minister outlines purpose of the Bill.
– Minister highlights important parts of the Bill.
– Official Opposition spokesperson responds with views on the Bill.
– Other Opposition parties and backbench MPs give opinions on the principles of the Bill.
– Minister concludes the debate and commends the Bill to the House.
– Speaker puts the question on the Bill.
– Speaker invites supporters to say ‘aye’ and opponents to say ‘no’.
– Speaker collects the voices and determines the loudest cry.
– Clear majority prompts the response ‘I think the Ayes/Noes have it’.
– If result is in doubt, a division is called and MPs vote.
– Speaker puts the question again to assess disagreement.
– Tellers are named to count the votes.
– Teller from each side counts MPs as they emerge from division lobbies.
– Whips try to ensure MPs vote with the party line.
– Division clerks take names and publish them in Hansard.
– Speaker says ‘lock the doors’ after all members have passed the division clerks.
– Division slip is produced and given to a teller on the winning side.
– Teller reads the result to the House.
– Speaker repeats the result and declares the winning side.
– Doorkeepers unlock the doors to the division lobbies.
– Programme Order sets timetable for committee and remaining stages of the Bill.
– Money resolution authorizes expenditure arising from the Bill.
– Ways and means resolution authorizes new taxes or charges created by the Bill.
– Bills are not programmed in the House of Lords.
– Bills defeated at second reading cannot progress further in the same session.

Stages of the Legislative Process and Enacting Formula
– Report stage takes place on the Floor of the House and allows for amendments to be made to the bill.
– Third reading is a debate on the final text of the bill, with amendments usually not permitted.
– The bill is then sent to the other House for potential amendments.
– The House in which the bill originated considers amendments made in the other House.
– A bill may pass back and forth between the Houses, a process known as parliamentary ping-pong.
– Acts commence with an enacting formula, which varies depending on the type of bill.
– The standard enacting formula includes the authority of the monarch, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons.
– For money bills, the enacting formula includes a resolution to grant duties for public expenses and revenue.
– Under the Parliament Acts, a different enacting formula is used if the Lords reject a bill from the Commons.
– The enacting formula without consent of the Lords is used in accordance with the Parliament Acts. Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Parliament_(UK)