Emergency debate on the Health and Social Care Bill

Application for emergency debate

Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham, made an application for an emergency debate on Monday 19 March 2012. The application was put before the House of Commons and agreed.

• Parliament TV: Application for emergency debate
• Commons Hansard: Application for emergency debate

Health and Social Care Bill

MPs debated whether the House of Commons should defer consideration of Lords amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill until after the disclosure of the transition risk register. The House of Commons considered Lords Amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill on Tuesday 20 March (after the emergency debate).

Watch and read the opinions expressed by MPs during the debate on Parliament TV and in Commons Hansard.

• Parliament TV: Emergency debate on Health and Social Care Bill
• Commons Hansard: Emergency debate on Health and Social Care Bill
• Bills before Parliament 2010-12: Health and Social Care Bill
• Commons news: Health and Social Care Bill consideration of Lords amendments

NHS risk register

The NHS risk register was drawn up to calculate the risks with implementing the Health and Social Care Bill. An Opposition debate took place on 22 February and called on the Government to "respect the ruling by the Information Commissioner and to publish the risk register associated with the Health and Social Care Bill in order to ensure that it informs public and parliamentary debate."

• Commons news: MPs debate the NHS risk register

Standing Order 24

Standing Orders are the rules made by both Houses of Parliament for the regulation of their proceedings. Standing Order 24 allows an MP to make an application for the House of Commons to

"debate a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration. If the Speaker is satisfied that the matter is proper to be so debated, the Member shall either obtain the leave of the House, or, if such leave be refused, the assent of not fewer than forty Members who shall thereupon rise in their places to support the motion, or, if fewer than forty Members and not fewer than ten shall thereupon rise in their places, the House shall, on a division, upon question put forthwith, determine whether such motion shall be made."

• House of Commons Standing Orders - Public Business

The last successful application for an emergency debate was made by William Cash, Conservative MP for Stone, on 28 February 2012 on the Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union. The debate was held on 29 February 2012.