On 23 September 2020, the House agreed to make the proxy voting scheme permanent, following the Procedure Committee's review of the pilot scheme. It also extended the proxy arrangements for public health reasons relating to the pandemic.
Documents to download
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Apologies by MPs to the House of Commons since 1979 (153 KB, PDF)
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Supporting documents
- Apologies by MPs to the House of Commons since 1979 (39 KB, Excel Spreadsheet) (39 KB, Excel Spreadsheet)
This list attempts to capture all instances where an apology has been made on the floor of the House of Commons since 1979.
There are numerous reasons why an MP might apologise to the House. Where an individual has been the subject of an investigation and report by the Committee on Standards (or its predecessors), the Committee may recommend that an apology be made to the House. Instances where the Committee recommends that the Member apologises to the House in writing, through the Committee, are not included in this list.
Other examples include apologies made for disorderly conduct or for the provision of inaccurate information during proceedings.
Committee on Standards
The Committee on Standards is appointed by the House of Commons to oversee the work of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The Committee cannot take on complaints about MPs, these should be directed to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The Committee on Standard’s webpage has Information about the complaint process on the conduct of an MP.
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The role of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is:
- to provide advice
- to investigate allegations that MPs have broken their Code of Conduct and its supporting rules
- to decide complaints from the parliamentary community about harassment, bullying or sexual harassment by MPs
- to keep the MPs’ Code of Conduct under review
- to keep the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and the three other Registers which the House requires.
The Code of Conduct and Guide to Rules
The Code of Conduct / PDF version ,1 August 2018, HC 1474 2017-19
The Code of Conduct together with The Guide to the Rules Relating to the Conduct of Members / PDF version
Parliament: facts and figures
This series of publications contains data on various subjects relating to Parliament and Government. Topics include legislation, MPs, select committees, debates, divisions and Parliamentary procedure.
Feedback
Please send comments or corrections to the Parliament and Constitution Centre. Suggestions for new lists welcomed.
Related Links
Documents to download
-
Apologies by MPs to the House of Commons since 1979 (153 KB, PDF)
-
Supporting documents
- Apologies by MPs to the House of Commons since 1979 (39 KB, Excel Spreadsheet) (39 KB, Excel Spreadsheet)
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The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 creates a five year period between general elections. Early elections may only be held in specified circumstances. The Prime Minister has to make arrangements for a review of the Act between June and November 2020.
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In 2019 about 14.4% of the UK population was from a minority ethnic background. How is this reflected in politics and public life?
