Growth and infrastructure bill: Lords consideration of amendments
25 April 2013
Ping pong stage two
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill bounced back to the House of Lords for consideration of Commons' changes yesterday
- Watch the debate on Parliament TV
- Read the Lords' Hansard report
- List of amendments (changes) to be discussed
- Lords Constitution Committee report: Growth and Infrastructure Bill
- Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee: Growth and Infrastructure Bill
The debate continued to focus on employee shareholders. Lords sent the bill back to the Commons with one amendment, proposing that people entering into employee shareholder agreements are given a written summary explaining how they will be affected, and receive legal advice, any costs of which are covered by their employer.
An amendment to remove the employee shareholder scheme from the bill went to a vote, with 168 for and 275 against.
Ping pong stage one
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill bounced back to the House of Lords for consideration of Commons' changes on Monday 22 April.
The debate focused on two key areas. Firstly Lords discussed planning permission and development rights for homeowners wishing to extend their property. They proposed the introduction of a light-touch neighbourhood consultation scheme to address concerns that larger extensions could be built without offering neighbours any opportunity to express their views.
Secondly, peers looked at the proposed employee shareholder scheme. An amendment to remove the employee shareholder scheme clause from the bill was agreed after going to a vote, with 260 for and 191 against.
The bill bounced back to the Commons for consideration of Lords’ amendments.
Consideration of amendments/ping pong explained
Once the bill has completed its passage through the House of Lords the bill returns to the Commons where it will consider any amendments made.
Both Houses need to agree to the exact wording of the bill and the bill may 'ping pong' between both Houses until this happens.
When the exact wording of the bill has been agreed by both Houses the bill is ready for royal assent. Once a bill receives royal assent it becomes an Act of Parliament (proposals in the bill become law).
The bill's progress so far
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill third reading
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill report stage day three
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill report stage day two
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill report stage day one
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill committee stage
- News: Growth and Infrastructure Bill Lords second reading
Growth and Infrastructure Bill summary
The bill looks at the following areas:
- the use of infrastructure
- the carrying-out of development, and the compulsory acquisition of land
- how rating lists are to be compiled
- the rights of employees of companies who agree to be employee owners.
Next and final stage: Royal assent
Once a bill has completed all its parliamentary stages in both Houses, it's ready to receive royal assent and become an act of Parliament (law). Royal assent is the Queen's formal agreement to make the bill into an act.
There is no set time period between the consideration of amendments and royal assent.
When royal assent has been given, an announcement is made in both Houses by the Lord Speaker in the Lords and the Speaker in the Commons.
At prorogation (the formal end to a parliamentary session), Black Rod interrupts the proceedings of the Commons and summons MPs to the Lords chamber to hear the Lords commissioners announce royal assent for each bill.