Form of questions proposed on amendments

21.36Under the terms of Standing Order No 31, the question proposed on amendments is, with two exceptions, ‘That the amendment be made’.1 The exceptions are: (i) on an opposition day allotted under Standing Order No 14, when an amendment to leave out words and insert (or add) others has been moved to a substantive motion by a Minister of the Crown, the questions proposed are ‘That the original words stand part of the question’, and, if that question is negatived, ‘That the proposed words be there inserted (or added)’;2 and (ii) when an amendment to leave out the word ‘now’ has been moved to a question that a bill be now read a second or third time, when the question proposed from the Chair is ‘That the word “now” stand part of the question’.

Footnotes

  1. 1. For the passing of the Standing Order, see HC Deb (1967–68) 754, cc 356–70; Sixth Report of the Select Committee on Procedure, 1966–67, HC 539, paras 33–37. For the procedure before the passing of this Standing Order, see Erskine May (17th edn, 1964), pp 415–16.
  2. 2. HC Deb (1979–80) 973, c 435. Where an amendment is moved on an Opposition day by someone other than a Minister of the Crown, the customary form, ‘That the amendment be made’, is used, CJ (1998–99) 320. See HC Deb (3 February 2016) 605, c 1011; and ibid (21 February 2024) 745, c 723 for the selection of a non-government amendment on an opposition day.