HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

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periods may be effected by proclamation. Parliament, while prorogued,
can be summoned by proclamation pursuant to the Meeting of
Parliament Acts 1797 and 1870 2 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Dissolution
2.14 No Parliament may continue to sit for more than five years from the
day on which, by writ of summons, it was appointed to meet. 3 Parliament is
nowadays dissolved by Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal.
Effect of termination of session
2.15 Prorogation has the effect of putting an end to all business before
the House, except:
private bills, personal bills, provisional order confirmation bills and
hybrid bills which may be “carried over” from one session to
another (including dissolution); 4
proceedings on Measures, statutory instruments and special
procedure orders laid in one session, which may be continued in
the next, notwithstanding prorogation or dissolution. Prorogation
and dissolution are disregarded in calculating “praying time”; 5
Command papers, statutory instruments and Statutory Rules of
Northern Ireland (apart from those which may be laid only when
the House is sitting) may be laid during prorogation, but not
dissolution;
certain sessional committees which remain in existence
notwithstanding the prorogation of Parliament until the House
makes further orders of appointment in the next session (but this
1 Prorogation Act 1867 s. 1, amended by the Statute Law Revision Act 1893.
2 As amended by the Parliament (Elections and Meeting) Act 1943.
3 Septennial Act 1715, as amended by s. 7 of the Parliament Act 1911. A bill containing any
provision to extend the maximum duration of Parliament beyond five years is exempted from
the restrictions imposed on the powers of the House of Lords by the Parliament Acts 1911
and 1949.
4 The procedure by which this is done provides for the waiving of certain Standing Orders by
agreement between the two Houses in order that the bills may be taken pro forma up to the
stage that they had reached in the previous session.
5 See paragraph 10.16.
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