Private Members’ Bills

Private members’ bills (PMBs) are bills introduced by a member of the House of Commons or the House of Lords who is not a government minister.

This briefing describes the stages a bill goes through when it is introduced to the House of Commons as a PMB.

How is time allocated to debate private members’ bills?

Standing Order No 14 (8) provides thirteen Fridays in a parliamentary session for the consideration of PMBs in the House of Commons Chamber.

On the first seven Fridays of these Fridays second reading take precedence. From the eighth Friday, bills that are furthest along in their progress through Parliament take priority.

How is the procedure for private members’ bills different from government bills?

Unlike most government bills, PMBs are not timetabled: there is no programme order to specify the time available for debate after second reading. Stages of a PMB on the floor of the House can only occur on the thirteen Fridays allocated for them. If a bill does not pass second reading on the first day it’s considered and the debate is adjourned, it goes to the bottom of the list of bills to be considered on the Friday nominated for the continuation of the debate.

An MP in charge of a PMB cannot table a money resolution to authorise spending that might occur because of the bill, which is required before a bill can got to a public bill committee: only the government can do this. However, if a private members’ bill passes second reading, the government usually tables a money resolution regardless of whether it supports it.

Additionally, only one private members’ bill can be considered in a public bill committee at any one time, unless the government tables a motion to establish another one to consider another private members’ bill.