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• Procedure and Privileges Committee

The Committee recommends various changes intended to make amending stages of public bills more efficient.

The report proposes changes to existing practice and to the guidance in the Companion in six areas:

• Revised guidance on the length of speeches opening and winding up debates on groups of amendments;
• Revised guidance on backbench speaking times as they apply to amendments;
• New guidance on length of speeches when pressing or withdrawing an amendment;
• New guidance to reduce repetition;
• New guidance that speeches should reflect the purpose of the stage at which they are made, even where a member was not present at an earlier stage.
• Changes to how the clock is used during amending stages.

The consequential amendments to the Companion are included within the report. The House will debate the report in the coming weeks.

Further information 

• About Parliament: Select committees
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