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Public Information Online Content

UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Northern Ireland Assembly

UK Parliament Content

House of Commons Papers
House of Lords Papers
House of Commons Public Bills and House of Lords Public Bills
House of Commons Explanatory Notes and House of Lords Explanatory Notes
Command Papers
Public Bill Committee Papers
Acts
Act Explanatory Notes
Statutory Instruments
House of Commons and House of Lords Daily Hansard

House of Commons Papers
House of Commons Papers are papers which result from the work of the House and its Committees or are otherwise necessary for its work.

House of Commons Papers form a distinct series within the parliamentary papers collection. Each paper in the series is identified by a number with the prefix 'HC' and the session in which it has been published. They are numbered from 1 in every parliamentary session. It is therefore necessary to refer to a paper by number and session, e.g. HC 507 2006-07. The main categories of papers are:

Select Committee Papers

Reports of Select Committees
Evidence taken by Select Committees
Minutes of Proceedings of Select Committees (Published once each session)

Government replies to Select Committee reports may appear as Special Reports of the Committee concerned, numbered as a House of Commons Paper; alternatively they may appear as Command Papers or as Departmental publications.

Minutes of Proceedings of Public Bill Committees
Public Bill Committees are used by the House to undertake the committee stage of bills i.e. to examine the detail of the bill. The House of Commons uses other general committees to debate delegated legislation and proposals for European legislation and other European Union documents. Public bill committees were known as "Standing Committees" until 15 November 2006.

Returns to Addresses by the House
Returns to addresses are often a way for the Government to make available to the House a report or statistics from the Government. Printing a paper as a return to an address might be used as a means of obtaining Parliamentary protection against possible libel actions.

Estimates and Appropriation Accounts
These include the main Supply Estimates, Revised and Supplementary Estimates and Appropriation Accounts presented to the Commons appear as House of Commons Papers. The Financial Statement and Budget Report is published as a House of Commons Paper, but the Pre-Budget Report is a Command Paper. National Audit Office Reports are also published as House of Commons papers.

Annual Reports and Accounts
There are a number of public organisations that are required by statute to publish their annual reports in the HC Papers series. Some bodies publish their accounts as House of Commons Papers but publish their annual reports themselves.

House Returns
These are now published as a single House of Commons paper for each session known as the Sessional Return. This summarises the work of the House for each session.

Other Papers
Some papers do not fall into any particular category. Examples include the Register of Members' Interests and Standing Orders (for both public and private business)

House of Lords Papers
House of Lords Papers are papers which result from the work of the House and its Committees or are otherwise necessary for its work.

House of Lords Papers form a distinct series within the parliamentary papers collection. Each paper in the series is identified by a number with the prefix 'HL' and the session in which it has been published. They are numbered from 1 in every parliamentary session. It is therefore necessary to refer to a paper by number and session, e.g. HL 105 2006-07. Most papers originate from the Select Committees and include the Select Committee reports and the minutes of evidence. Other papers include the Register of Members' Interests and Standing Orders.

House of Commons Public Bills and House of Lords Public Bills
Public Bills change the law as it applies to the general population and are the most common type of Bill introduced in Parliament. Government ministers propose the majority of Public Bills; those put forward by other MPs or Lords are known as Private Members' Bills.

Introduction of Public Bills
Public Bills may be introduced in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords and go through a number of set stages that generally involve Members of both Houses examining the Bill.

Bills that are largely financial, or involve public money such as new taxes or public spending are always introduced in the Commons.

Once passed into law, a Public Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. The conditions of public bills apply to the general public, such as a change to the national speed limit on motorways.

Private Members' Bills
Private Members' Bills are public bills introduced by MPs and Lords who are not government ministers. As with other public bills their purpose is to change the law as it applies to the general population. Only a minority of private members' bills become law but, by creating publicity around an issue, they may affect legislation indirectly.

Like other public bills, private members' bills can be introduced in either House and must go through the same set stages. However, as less time is allocated to these bills it is less likely that they will proceed through all their stages. Some private members bills are never printed.

Bill Stages
The procedure for passing the different types of Bills is broadly similar in both Houses. A bill must pass through several stages - in both Houses - to become law.

The following stages take place in both Houses:

First reading (formal introduction of the Bill without debate)
Second reading (general debate)
Committee stage (detailed examination, debate and amendments. In the House of Commons this stage usually takes place in a Public Bill Committee.)
Report stage (opportunity for further amendments)
Third reading (final chance for debate – amendments are possible in the Lords but not in the Commons)

When a Bill has passed through both Houses it is returned to the first House (where it started) for the second House's amendments to be considered.

Both Houses must agree on the final text. There may be several rounds of exchanges between the two Houses until agreement is reached. Once agreement is reached the Bill proceeds to the next stage:

Royal Assent (granted by the monarch)

Once Royal Assent is granted the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. However, the provisions of they Act may not come into force immediately.

House of Commons Explanatory Notes and House of Lords Explanatory Notes
The text of Explanatory Notes is produced by the Government Department Responsible for the subject matter of the Bill. The purpose of the Explanatory Notes is to make the Bill accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and who have no specialist knowledge of the subject matter. They are intended to give an understanding of what the Bill sets out to achieve and to place its effect in context. Explanatory Notes need to be read in conjunction with the Bill and will not be fully comprehensible if read on their own. Explanatory Notes to Bills are usually published at the same time as the Bill. Explanatory Notes are not published for every print of the Bill but will usually be published for the first print of the Bill and for the first print when the Bill enters the other House.

Command Papers
The term "command" arose from the formula that was carried on the papers: "Presented to Parliament ... by command of Her (or His) Majesty". The origin of this formula lies in the fact that these are Government Papers. They have their authority from Ministers of the Crown (constitutionally, the Sovereign) and are laid before Parliament as conveying information or decisions which the Government think should be drawn to the attention of one or both Houses of Parliament. Today, the formula is usually, "Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for ... by Command of Her Majesty". They are allocated numbers by the remaining part of HMSO and have the prefix Cm and sequential numbers.

The main types of Paper included in this series are:

State papers (including communiqués, treaties, etc). Treaties may be reprinted with a different Cm number when they are ratified.
White Papers (Government proposals for legislation), and related policy statements, and some annual reviews
Government replies to select committee reports
Reports of Royal Commissions, but not normally the evidence of the Commission.
Reports of some major Committees of Inquiry, and other Commissions and non-Parliamentary bodies
Annual Reports, Statistics, etc. of certain bodies
Some, but usually only a small minority, of Consultative Documents (sometimes called Green Papers).

Public Bill Committee Papers
The House of Commons uses Public Bill Committees to undertake the committee stage of bills. i.e. to examine the detail of the bill. The House of Commons uses other general committees to debate delegated legislation and proposals for European legislation and other European Union documents. Public bill committees were known as "Standing Committees" until 15 November 2006. The General Committees include Delegated Legislation Committees and Committees for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The deliberations of the Public Bill Committees are usually published the day following the sitting and each publication is indexed by the number of the sitting and the bill to which it relates. e.g. First Sitting, Finance Bill.

The Minutes of Proceedings for all General Committees and Public Bill Committees appear as HC Papers, usually some time after the sittings concerned. These record amendments moved, divisions, attendance, etc.

Acts of Parliament
An Act of Parliament creates a new law or changes an existing law. An Act is a Bill approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent). Once implemented, an Act is law and applies to the UK as a whole or to specific areas of the country.An Act may come into force immediately, on a specific starting date, or in stages.

Acts of Parliament Explanatory Notes
The purpose of the Explanatory Notes is to make the Act of Parliament accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and who have no specialist knowledge of the subject matter. They are intended to give an understanding of what the Act sets out to achieve and to place its effect in context. Explanatory Notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act and will not be fully comprehensible if read on their own.

Statutory Instruments
Statutory Instruments (SIs) are a form of legislation which allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force or altered without Parliament having to pass a new Act. They are also referred to as secondary, delegated or subordinate legislation.

Links to the Statutory Instruments rely on an external website which we do not maintain or update. As such the Statutory Instruments listed should be used as a guide only and not relied on as a comprehensive list of amending legislation

House of Commons and House of Lords Daily Hansard
Hansard is the official report of the proceedings of Parliament. It is published daily when Parliament is sitting and records everything that is said and done in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, for which separate reports are issued.

Scottish Parliament Bills
Scottish Parliament bills are either public or private. Public bills seek to change the general law; private bills seek powers for a particular individual or organisation.

Public Bills are referred to as Executive Bills if they are introduced by a member of the Scottish Government (previously known as the Executive), Committee Bills are so called if they are introduced by a parliamentary committee or Member’s Bills are so called if they are introduced by an individual Member of the Scottish Parliament. Private Bills are Bills which have been introduced by the person seeking the powers provided for by the Bill. This can be an individual, company or group of people.

The parliamentary process of a Scottish Parliament Bill depends on the type of bill but usually consists of three stages:

Stage 1
The Lead committee takes evidence on the bill and produces a report called a Stage one report on the bill’s general principles. A meeting of the Parliament then considers the report and debates whether to agree to the bill’s general principles.

Stage 2
If a bill progresses to Stage 2 it is considered in detail by the lead committee or, occasionally by a Committee of the whole Parliament. Amendments to the bill can be made at this stage.

Stage 3
The bill is again considered at a meeting of the Parliament. Further amendments can be made and Parliament decides whether to pass the bill in its final form. Once a bill has been passed there is a four week period during which it may be challenged by the Law Officers if they believe that it is outside the law-making powers of the Scottish Parliament. If it is not challenged it is then submitted to the Queen for Royal Assent.

Notice of the introduction of any Scottish bill is published in the Scottish Parliament Business Bulletin. Scottish bills cannot be carried over from one session to another and if they have not been passed or gone through all the required stages in the Scottish Parliament they fall. Bills are usually reprinted as amended at Stage 2 (if the bill was amended during that stage) and it is this print that is considered by the Scottish Parliament at Stage 3. The bill is also printed as passed, unlike in the UK Parliament, before it receives Royal Assent and becomes an Act. In the event of the bill going through Reconsideration proceedings it is this print of the bill that is considered.

Scottish Parliament Explanatory Notes to Bills
When a bill is introduced in the Scottish Parliament it must be accompanied by an Explanatory Note which is a document under the collective term of ‘bill accompanying document’ and the purpose of the explanatory note is a document which provides a brief overview of what the Bill does, followed by a more detailed commentary on the individual provisions. They are required to be neutral in tone – that is, they explain what the Bill does without seeking to justify or advocate. They can be useful to the reader in describing the legal context in which the Bill operates and explaining technical terms or drafting conventions used in the Bill. Straightforward or self-explanatory provisions do not require explanation in the Notes.

Scottish Parliament Policy Memorandums to Bills
Most public bills are published with a Policy Memorandum which is a document under the collective term ‘bill accompanying document’ and the purpose of this policy memorandum is in setting out the Bill’s policy objectives, what alternative approaches were considered, the consultation undertaken and an assessment of the effects of the Bill on equal opportunities, human rights, island communities, local government, sustainable development and other matters considered relevant. It provides an opportunity to argue the case for the Bill, and so can provide a useful complement to the Explanatory Notes.

Scottish Parliament Accompanying Documents to Bills
Accompanying documents (other than the Presiding Officer’s statement on legislative competence) are prepared by or on behalf of the member in charge of the Bill (in the case of Executive Bills, by the Bill Team). For most Executive Bills these accompanying documents are—

Explanatory Notes

Financial Memorandum

Auditor General’s Report

Executive statement on legislative competence

Policy Memorandum

All Bills must also be accompanied by a statement by the Presiding Officer on legislative competence

Scottish Parliament Financial Memorandum to Bills
Public bills are published with a Policy Memorandum which is a document under the collective term ‘bill accompanying document’ and the purpose of this Financial memorandum is to sets out estimates of the expected costs of the Bill to the Scottish Administration (i.e. the Government, in the broad sense of Ministers, departments and agencies), to local authorities and to other bodies, individuals and businesses. In each case, the Memorandum indicates the timescales over which such costs are expected to arise and the margin of uncertainty in estimates given.

Scottish Parliament Marshalled Lists
Normally, by the time a Marshalled List is printed, all the amendments to be included will already have been printed in a daily list. The Marshalled List is therefore an amalgamation of the various daily lists (minus any amendments that have been withdrawn). At Stage 3, however, the Marshalled List contains only those amendments that have been selected for consideration by the Presiding Officer. Amendments appear in the order in which they appeared in the daily lists and the amendment numbers remain the same.

Marshalled Lists are numbered by reference to the relevant print of the Bill. So the first Marshalled List at Stage 2 of SP Bill 3 will be SP Bill 3–ML1, the second ML2, and so on. If the Bill is amended at Stage 2 and reprinted as SP Bill 3A, the Stage 3 Marshalled List will be SP Bill 3A–ML; if the Bill is not amended, the Stage 3 Marshalled List will be numbered in the same sequence as those at Stage 2.

Scottish Parliament Delegated Powers Memorandums
Where an Executive Bill contains provisions conferring powers to make subordinate legislation, the member in charge must also lodge with the clerk a memorandum on delegated powers. This must set out:

person on whom any such power is conferred;

form in which the power is to be exercised;

why it is considered appropriate to delegate the power;

Parliamentary procedure (if any) to which the power is to be subject; and

reason for opting for that procedure.

The memorandum is not formally an accompanying document, and therefore need not be lodged on the point of introduction. Instead it is lodged “immediately after” introduction and needs only to be published, not printed. In practice, this means that the memorandum tends to enter the public domain at the same time as the Bill and accompanying documents, by being published on the Parliament’s website on the day after introduction.

Scottish Parliament Groupings
Groupings of amendments which are amendments ‘grouped’ into like subjects are determined by the convener or Presiding Officer. The clerks, in preparing a draft, may seek the views of members and the Executive, but the convener’s or Presiding Officer’s decision is final. Lists of groupings are prepared no later than the day before the relevant meeting of the committee or the Parliament. Like Marshalled Lists, lists of groupings are numbered by reference to the Bill number (e.g. SP Bill 3-G1 for the first groupings list).

Scottish Parliament Business Bulletins
The Business Bulletin is published each morning when the Parliament is in session. It details the current, future and past business of the Parliament. During recess the Bulletin is published weekly.

Scottish Parliament Official Reports
The Official Report is the full and authoritative written report of proceedings in the Scottish Parliament. It is published in hard copy the morning following the proceedings and on the Scottish Parliament website by 8 am on the following day.

Scottish Parliament Minutes of Proceedings
The Minutes of Proceedings are the formal record of all items of business taken and the results of any decisions, divisions and elections held. Minutes are produced by the Clerk for each meeting of Parliament and for each committee meeting. These are published on the day after each meeting of the Parliament or Committee.

Scottish Parliament Written Answers
The Written Answers Report contains the text of written questions lodged by MSPs and the answers given by either the Scottish Executive or the Presiding Officer. Written parliamentary questions must be answered within 10 working days or 20 working days during recess.

Scottish Parliament Papers
Papers published under the authority of the Scottish Parliament which are necessary for the business and work of the Parliament. These include the committee publications and those of the corporate body.

Scottish Parliament Official Reports of Committee Debates
The Official Report is the full and authoritative written report of proceedings in the Scottish Parliament committees. They are published on the Scottish Parliament website and on paper by by agreed deadlines.

Scottish Parliament Acts
Full text of the Acts of the Scottish Parliament as they were originally enacted

Scottish Parliament Acts Explanatory Notes
All Acts of the Scottish Parliament which result from Executive Bills (except for Acts which result from Budget Bills) are accompanied by Explanatory Notes. The text of the Explanatory Notes is produced by the Scottish Executive Department responsible for the subject matter of the Act. Explanatory Notes seek to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and who have no specialised knowledge of the matters dealt with. Explanatory notes are often published at the same time as the Act but this is not always possible and may follow some days after the publication of the Act.

Northern Ireland Assembly Content

Northern Ireland Assembly Bills
Northern Ireland Assembly Explanatory Financial Memorandums
Northern Ireland Assembly Notices of Amendments
Northern Ireland Assembly Marshalled Lists
Northern Ireland Assembly Groupings
Northern Ireland Assembly Committee Reports
Northern Ireland Assembly Registers' of Members Interest
Northern Ireland Assembly Acts and Act Explanatory Notes
Official Report Hansard Written Answers
Official Report Hansard

Northern Ireland Assembly Bills
Primary legislation is brought about by way of a bill, which sets out proposed law presented to the Assembly for scrutiny and discussion. Most bills are Public Bills and these deal with matters of general public interest. They can be introduced by:

A Minister (Executive Bill)

A Member of the Assembly (Private Member's Bill)

One of the Assembly's Statutory Committees.

A bill becomes an Act when it has been passed by the Assembly and has received Royal Assent. The stages of a bill are as follows:

First Stage
Introduction of the Bill

Second Stage
General debate of the bill with an opportunity for Members to vote on its general principles.

Committee Stage
Detailed investigation by a committee which concludes with the publication of a report for considerationby the Assembly.

Consideration Stage
Consideration by the Assembly and an opportunity for Members to vote on the details of the Bill including amendments proposed to the Bill.

Further Consideration Stage
Further consideration by the Assembly and an opportunity for Members to vote on further amendments proposed to the Bill.

Final Stage
Passing or rejecting of the Bill by the Assembly, without further amendments

Royal Assent
Once Royal Assent is granted the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.

Northern Ireland Assembly Explanatory Financial Memorandum
Explanatory memoranda are available to aid understanding of all Northern Ireland Assembly Bills. They are intended for those not legally qualified or without specialist knowledge of the subject matter. Explanatory Notes help to explain what each section of the bill is planned to do and what the bill is likely to cost.

Northern Ireland Assembly Notices of Amendments
Amendments to Bills as first published

Northern Ireland Assembly Marshalled Lists
Marshalled List of Amendments as of the date stated on the publication.

Northern Ireland Asssembly Groupings
Groupings of amendments as determined by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Northern Ireland Assembly Committee Reports
The reports of the Departmental Commitees, Standing Committees and Ad hoc Committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Northern Ireland Assembly Registers of Members’ Interests
Members are required to provide information of any financial interest or other material benefit which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions, speeches or votes in the Assembly, or actions taken in his or her capacity as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Northern Ireland Assembly Acts
Full text of the Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly as they were originally enacted

Northern Ireland Assembly Act Explanatory Notes
Explanatory Notes seek to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and who have no specialised knowledge of the matters dealt with. Explanatory notes are often published at the same time as the Act but this is not always possible and may follow some days after the publication of the Act.

Official Report Hansard Written Answers
The Answers Booklet contains all the questions for which written answers have been received during that week. To access the answers click on appropriate date below

The Official Report Hansard
The Official Report (Hansard) of the Northern Ireland Assembly is the authoritative record of all plenary proceedings of the Assembly and certain Committee meetings. Each Official Report contains a substantially verbatim transcript of proceedings, including speeches, questions, decisions and votes.

A full report of each Assembly sitting is published the day after each plenary sitting.