The legislative process and Library briefings on bills

As bills pass through the Houses of Parliament, the Library produces briefings to support MPs with their legislative duties. This article explains the legislative procedure for government bills which start in the Commons and how the Library briefs MPs, taking as an example the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which started in the Commons in December 2023.

First reading

This is the formal introduction of a bill, without any debate. The Safety of Rwanda Bill was read in the Commons for the first time on 7 December 2023.

Second reading

This is where MPs debate the bill’s broad principles and purpose and
vote on the entirety of the bill.

The Library publishes a briefing for MPs ahead of second reading for almost all government bills. Our briefing on the Safety of Rwanda Bill included an overview of the bill, an explanation of the Rwanda asylum partnership, a summary of the bill’s legal background, an analysis of its clauses and a discussion of the relevant international law.

In this case, following second reading the Library also produced a briefing specifically about the legal commentary on the bill.

Committee stage

This is where a group of MPs, representative of the parties in the
House, scrutinise the bill clause by clause. MPs can propose amendments and new clauses. In a minority of cases such as with the Safety of Rwanda Bill, the bill is considered by all MPs in a committee of the whole House in the Commons Chamber.

Committee stage for the Safety of Rwanda Bill took place on 16 and 17 January.

The Library produces a briefing following committee stage, discussing significant amendments and topics of debate.

This helps MPs prepare for report stage, an opportunity for all MPs to consider amendments. However, if the bill was unamended at committee stage in a committee of the whole House, report stage is omitted.

Third reading

This usually immediately follows report stage with MPs voting on the bill in its entirety. If the bill is approved it passes to the House of Lords.

Lords stages

These involve the bill going through the same steps as it did in the Commons, and the Lords Library provides a briefing for members of the Lords on the bill as brought from the Commons. If the Lords amend a bill, they return their amendments to the Commons.

Ping pong

This is where the Commons and the Lords consider each other’s amendments. They send amendments back and forth until both Houses agree.

Ahead of the Commons considering Lords amendments, the Library may produce a briefing if these amendments are particularly substantive. It did this for the Safety of Rwanda Bill, and updated the briefing regularly throughout ping pong.

The Lords’ first amendments to the bill included, for example, allowing the presumption Rwanda is a safe country to be rebutted by contrary evidence.

Royal Assent

Once both Houses agree the text of the bill, the King gives his assent and this is pronounced in Parliament. This process – Royal Assent – enacts the bill into law.

The Library sometimes publishes a briefing on the resulting Act of Parliament. If not, acts are often summarised in general briefings. For example, the Library has published a general briefing about the UK–Rwanda partnership covering the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, including a summary of the Safety of Rwanda Act.