HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

which it stands on the order paper. 1 Business is entered on the order
paper in the order in which it is received at the Table, subject to the
following main conditions laid down in SO 40:
(a) oral questions are placed first;
(b) private business is, subject to the Chairman of Committees’
discretion, placed before public business;
(c) business of the House motions and, if he so desires, the Chairman of
Committees’ business (for example, consideration of reports from
domestic committees) are placed before other public business;
(d) on all days except Thursdays, 2 public bills, Measures, affirmative
instruments and reports from select committees of the House
have precedence over other public business. On Thursdays, the
general debate day, 3 motions have precedence over public bills,
Measures and delegated legislation;
(e) any motion relating to a report from the Delegated Powers and
Regulatory Reform Committee on a draft order laid under the
Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, or a subordinate
provisions order made or proposed to be made under the
Regulatory Reform Act 2001 is placed before a motion to
approve that order; 4
(f) any motion relating to a report from the Joint Committee on
Human Rights on a remedial order or draft remedial order laid
under Schedule 2 to the Human Rights Act 1998 is placed before
a motion to approve that order or draft order; 5
(g) questions for short debate are placed last, even when it is known
that they will be taken in the lunch or dinner break.
3.42 Royal Assent is frequently notified before oral questions, but may
be notified between any two items of business or at the end of business,
if necessary after an adjournment.
1 SOs 39, 40.
2 Procedure 6th Rpt 2005–06.
3 See paragraph 6.46.
4 SO 40(6).
5 SO 40(7).
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