Legislation Process

Legislation Process

1. Bills

   • Public Bills
     • Effect the whole country or a large selection of it.
   • Private Bills
     • affects individual people of a corporation
   • Private Member
     • Sponsored by individual MPs

2. The Process

   • Green Paper
     • Consultation document on possible new law
   • White Paper
     • Government's firm proposal for new law
   • First reading
     • Formal introduction of the Bill into the HOC
   • Second reading
     • Main debate on Bill's principle
   • Committee Stage
     • clause by clause consideration of the Bill by a select committee around 16 - 30 MPs
   • Report stage
     • committee reports suggesed amendments back to the HOC
   • Third reading
     • Final Debate on the Bill
   • Repeat in HOL
     • Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949
   • Royal Assent
     • a formality - normally an Act of Parliament will come into force at midnight afte recieving the Royal Assent or on some previously decided date