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HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

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taking the instruments en bloc. The italic note must appear in at least two<br />

issues of House of Lords Business.<br />

Affirmative instruments in Grand Committee<br />

10.14 Affirmative instruments may be considered in Grand Committee.<br />

Each instrument is referred on a motion moved by the Leader of the<br />

House; once the debate has been held the Grand Committee reports to<br />

the House that it has considered the instruments; each instrument is then<br />

approved by the House on another separate motion.<br />

10.15 Motions to refer affirmative instruments to a Grand Committee,<br />

and motions to approve affirmative instruments after they have been<br />

debated in Grand Committee, are normally taken en bloc in the House.<br />

The requirements for two sitting days’ notice and for the unanimous<br />

leave of the House apply as for other en bloc motions. 1<br />

Negative instruments<br />

10.16 Negative procedure is the most common form of parliamentary<br />

control over delegated legislation. Such instruments take effect either<br />

immediately or on a specified future day but are subject to annulment in<br />

pursuance of a resolution of either House adopted within a specified time<br />

limit. A resolution to reject a negative instrument takes the form of a<br />

motion that “an Humble Address” be presented to Her Majesty praying<br />

that the instrument be annulled. 2 Since 1948 the period during which a<br />

negative resolution may be moved (“praying time”) has been 40 days in<br />

respect of either the negative procedure for annulment or the negative<br />

procedure for preventing further proceedings in the case of a draft<br />

instrument. Swearing-in days in either House 3 are included in the<br />

reckoning of the 40 days, but periods of dissolution, prorogation or<br />

adjournment of both Houses for more than four days are not. Praying<br />

time in respect of an instrument laid during the recess does not therefore<br />

begin to run until one of the Houses sits.<br />

10.17 As with affirmative instruments, critical amendments or motions<br />

may be moved relating to negative instruments, inviting the House to call<br />

1 Procedure 1st Rpt 2005–06.<br />

2 The procedure is set out in the Statutory Instruments Act 1946.<br />

3 See paragraph 2.01.<br />

195

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