HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

Asperity of speech (SO 32)
4.50 When debate becomes heated, it is open to any member of the
House to move “that the Standing Order on Asperity of Speech be read
by the Clerk”. Standing Order 32 can be read only on a motion agreed
to by the House, and this motion is debatable.
“That the noble Lord be no longer heard”
4.51 If in a speech a member is thought to be seriously transgressing
the practice of the House, it is open to another member to move “that
the noble Lord be no longer heard”. This motion however is very rare; it
is debatable and seldom needs to be decided on Question since
members generally conform to the sense of the House as soon as this
sense becomes clear.
4.52 The effect of agreeing to this motion is to prohibit the member in
question from speaking further on the substantive motion, but not on any
subsequent motion.
The Next Business motion
4.53 A member who does not wish the House to record an opinion on
a motion that has been moved may, at any time during the course of the
debate, move “That the House do proceed to the next business”. 1 It is
helpful if a member who intends to move this motion gives notice of his
intention.
4.54 A Next Business motion supersedes the original motion before
the House and, if it is agreed to, the Question on the original motion is
not put, and the debate ends. If it is disagreed to, the debate on the
original motion is resumed and the Question is put in the usual way.
4.55 The Next Business motion is debatable and, since it cannot be
debated without reference to the original motion, the subject matter of
both motions may be debated together. The Next Business motion
should be distinguished from the Closure, namely “That the Question be
now put”, which is not debatable: see below.
4.56 The Next Business motion is not allowed on an amendment;
although, after an amendment has been agreed to, it may be moved on
1 Procedure 5th Rpt 1971–72.
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