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may have two chairs appointed – one from the government and one from
the Opposition.
On rare occasions, the Standing Committee stage might be
expanded. This is done when this examination of a bill is taken ‘on the
floor’. This is when a Committee of the Whole House is convened to
give all MP’s the opportunity to express their views on a bill. This
happens rarely as it is a time-consuming process. Major finance bill and
proposed constitutional changes have led to Committees of the Whole
House being instigated in the past.
The whole committee stage is meant to be a thorough examination
of a bill and it is the longest part of the process. Once it has ended, the
process moves on to the Report Stage. This stage is also known as ‘The
Consideration’. This is a detailed examination of the bill by all MP’s,
including amendments if they have been suggested at the Committee
stage. New amendments can be introduced at this stage. This is usually
done by the government in response to amendments suggested at the
Committee stage. By doing this, the government can claim to have
listened to the proposed amendments to a bill. It can also claim to still be
in charge of the bill as it has proposed the amendments! The Report Stage
can last from 30 minutes to several days. From here, the bill returns for its
Third Reading.
The Third Reading is the final part of the debate regarding the bill
within the House of Commons. MP’s discuss the overall content of the
amended bill. From here the bill automatically moves onto the House of
Lords.
Under its current structure, the Lords operate in broadly the same
way as the House of Commons. The First Reading in the Lords is, as in
the Commons, a formal introduction. A major debate on the bill occurs at
the Second Reading. The Lords continue to follow the pattern of the
Commons with a Committee Stage, followed by the Report Stage and then
a concluding Third Reading.
However, though there are many similarities in the way both Houses
proceed with regards to the way bills are passed, there are also a number
of important differences.
The Lords Committee Stage is usually held on the floor of the Lords
itself. In this way, any peer may put forward amendments and comment
about the bill. Amendments can be made in the Lords at the Third

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