Private Members' Bills

Today I learnt that only a minority of Private Members’ Bills become law because little time is allocated to them.

Private Members’ Bills are Public Bills introduced by MPs and Lords who aren not government ministers. They follow the same stages through Parliament as other Public Bills but because less time is allocated to them they are less likely to go through all stages.

There are three ways to introduce a Private Members' Bills in the House of Commons:

The Ballot

Ballot Bills have the best chance of becoming law, as they normally get a day of debate each. The names of Members applying for a Bill are drawn from a ballot at the beginning of the parliamentary year.

Ten Minute Rule

Members make 10 minute speeches outlining their proposal. Ten Minute Rule Bills are “are often an opportunity for Members to voice an opinion on a subject or aspect of existing legislation, rather than a serious attempt to get a Bill passed”.*

Presentation

Members “formally introduce a title of the Bill but do not speak in support of it”.*

All of this information is taken from the Parliament website:

http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/bills/private-members/