Adjournment

39.8The Chair of a general committee has no power under the standing orders1 to adjourn the committee except at the end of a morning's sitting pursuant to Standing Order No 88 or when a quorum is not present (see para 39.17 ). Any member, if called by the Chair, may at any time during the consideration of a bill (except while another member is speaking), move the adjournment of the debate, or of further consideration of the bill, as the case may require. In certain circumstances, Chairs of general committees have accepted motions in the form, ‘That the committee do now adjourn’.2 If the motion is accepted by the Chair (see para 20.24 ) and agreed to by the committee, the debate, further consideration of the bill, or the committee, as the case may be, is adjourned to the day, if any, previously appointed for the next sitting of the committee; or, if the committee has previously decided to sit in the afternoon (see para 39.10 ) of the same day, until the hour decided upon. If, however, no day has been so appointed, or it is desired to alter the date or time of the next meeting, the committee must appoint a day and hour (or either as the case may be) for resuming the debate or taking the bill into further consideration. After a day and hour have, if necessary, been fixed for resuming further proceedings on the bill, and any motions which may be made respecting the dates or times of future sittings have been disposed of, the Chair adjourns the committee to the day and hour appointed for the next meeting, or for resuming further proceedings on the bill, as the case may be. If a dilatory motion is under discussion at the time when the Chair is directed to adjourn the committee without putting any question (see above), such motion lapses.3

A motion in the form ‘That the Committee do now adjourn’ was negatived in a public bill committee that was unable to proceed with consideration of any clause of a bill due to the lack of the required money resolution.4 The member in charge was permitted to move the motion a second time, at which point it was agreed to.5

When it was desired further to adjourn a general committee to a day later than that appointed for its next sitting, the House has, on the motion of the Chair, made the necessary order.6

A general committee ought to be adjourned to a specified day.7 A committee has, however, sometimes adjourned, with the general concurrence of the members, to a day to be subsequently fixed by the Chair.8 For a committee to endeavour to dispose of a bill which has been committed to it by adjourning sine die, or to some distant day, would be inconsistent with the duty imposed on the committee by the order of the House committing the bill to the committee.9

Footnotes

  1. 1. The Chair has adjourned a standing committee without question put when a Member who had not been nominated to serve on the committee persistently intervened and refused to withdraw (eg Stg Co Deb (1987–88) First Sc Stg Co (Housing (Scotland) Bill) cc 3–7; ibid (2000–01) Co F (Criminal Justice and Police Bill) cc 674–76); see also HC Deb (1993–94), 236, c 743.
  2. 2. The reasons for such adjournments have included marks of respect for deceased Members (Stg Co on Trade, Proceedings (Locomotives on Highways Bill) HC 233 (1898) p 7; Stg Co Deb (1993–94), Co E (Education Bill) c 36); absence of shorthand writers (Stg Co B, Proceedings (Race Relations Bill) HC 262 (1964–65) p 8); Member in charge not ready or unwilling to proceed (Stg Co Deb (1959–60) Co C (Road Traffic (Driving of Motorcycles and Mopeds) Bill) c 5; ibid (1963–64) Co C (Representation of the People Act 1949 (Amendment) Bill) cc 3–8; ibid (1968–69) Co C (Insurance (Employers' Liability) Bill) cc 3–20; Stg Co Proceedings (1993–94) Co D (Coal Industry Bill), HC 283); questions having arisen concerning the availability or circulation of relevant papers (Stg Co Deb (1963–64) Co C (Protection of Birds Act 1954 (Amendment) Bill) cc 3–10; ibid (1988–89) First EC Docs (Health and Safety) cc 3–14); to facilitate the progress of the bill under consideration (Stg Co Deb (1950–51) Co B (New Streets Bill) c 683); a drafting defect in the statutory instrument before the committee (Stg Co Deb (1998–99), Second Stg Co on DL, cc 3–4; CJ (1998–99) 462). On account of doubts expressed about the vires of a statutory instrument a committee has resolved to adjourn proceedings to a specified future day, when they were completed, Stg Co Deb (2001–02), First Stg Co on DL, 16 and 23 October 2001. In the case of an instrument which was the subject of an adverse report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, a dilatory motion has been accepted and negatived, Stg Co Deb (1995–96), Third Stg Co on DL, 19 December 1995, c 3. Where a public bill committee has considered a bill all the provisions of which required the House to agree a money resolution, which the House had not agreed, the committee met repeatedly, debating and agreeing a motion in these terms at each sitting, PBC Deb (2017–19) Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill, cc 6, 7, 11, etc.
  3. 3. Stg Co E, Proceedings (Companies Bill) HC 519 (1966–67) p 31; Stg Co A, Proceedings (Countryside Bill) HC 150 (1967–68) p 41.
  4. 4. See para 35.1 ff.
  5. 5. PBC Deb (2017–19) Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill, c 60.
  6. 6. For example, CJ (1937–38) 323; ibid (1967–68) 69.
  7. 7. A standing committee has adjourned to ‘the first Tuesday or Thursday’ on which the House should sit after an adjournment. Stg Co A, Proceedings (Countryside Bill) HC 150 (1967–68) p 11; Stg Co B, Proceedings (Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill) HC 118 (1967–68) p 12.
  8. 8. Stg Co D, Proceedings, Betting and Lotteries Bill [Lords], HC 125 (1933–34) p 16; Stg Co A, Proceedings, Marriage Bill, HC 40 (1936–37) p 9; Welsh Grd Co, Proceedings, HC 167 (1960–61) p 3; Northern Ireland Committee, Proceedings, HC 357 (1981–82) p 3; Stg Co F, Proceedings, Civil Aviation Bill HC 384 (1984–85) p 3; Stg Co Deb (2002–03) Co C (Sustainable Energy Bill) cc 27–30.
  9. 9. But see Stg Co F, Proceedings, Civil Aviation Bill, HC 384 (1984–85) p 3.