Orders of the day under consideration at unexpected ending of business

19.35An order under consideration when the House is unexpectedly adjourned, for instance owing to grave disorder, becomes a ‘dropped order’. A dropped order may be reinstated on the Order Paper by means of a motion processed as a formality – that is, entered by the Clerks in the Votes and Proceedings without the attention of the House being drawn to it.1

If proceedings have been commenced on such an order of the day and interrupted, the proceeding thus revived is set down for resumption at the position indicated by the last decision of the House entered upon the Votes and Proceedings.2 If the interruption occurs after the adjournment of the debate has been moved, the motion for the revival of the order of the day relates to the order itself, the motion for the adjournment of the debate being treated as a lapsed motion.3 If the interruption occurs after proceedings upon an order of the day have been postponed and before their resumption, the order of the day is not treated as a dropped order.4

Footnotes

  1. 1. Known as a ‘book entry’ – see para 19.37 below.
  2. 2. Sale of Intoxicating Liquor (Ireland) Bill, CJ (1878) 419, 424; Redistribution of Seats Bill, CJ (1884) 208, 209; Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Bill, CJ (1960–61) 251.
  3. 3. CJ (1878–79) 122, 124; CJ (1911) 351, 388.
  4. 4. Trades Disputes and Trade Unions Bill 1927, CJ (1927) 144, 145; Notices of Motions (1927) 1336.