Commons remaining stages: Infrastructure Bill

MPs debated Report Stage and Third Reading of the Infrastructure Bill on Monday 26 January 2015.

A number of amendments were made to the Bill at Report stage. The Bill passed third reading, without a vote, and will now move to the House of Lords for consideration.

Related information

Summary of the Infrastructure Bill

This Bill provides for:

a new Strategic Highways Company, a Road Investment Strategy and a new monitor and watchdog for the company;
a new regime for the control of invasive species and species that are no longer normally present;
changes to planning law affecting development consent orders for nationally significant infrastructure projects and discharging some types of planning conditions;
the direct transfer of surplus public sector land held by an arm’s length body of a Government department to the Homes and Communities Agency or Greater London Authority;
the transfer of responsibility for Local Land Charge searches from individual local authorities in England and Wales to the Land Registry;
the introduction of zero carbon homes, through building regulations;
an electricity community right to buy for onshore renewables;
a new strategic approach for the recovery of oil and gas reserves;
streamlined access to onshore oil and gas reserves (for example when fracking for shale gas) and geothermal energy;
the implementation of the international agreement, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Progress of the Bill

The Bill completed its committee stage on 15 January 2015.

The Bill had its second reading debate on 8 December 2014. It was presented to the House of Commons on 20 November 2014, after it completed its House of Lords stages on 19 November 2014.

Keep up to date with all the proceedings and documentation, including amendment papers, on the Recall of MPs Bill and find out how a bill becomes an Act of Parliament.

House of Commons Library analysis

The House of Commons Library produces briefing papers to inform MPs of key issues. The papers contain factual information and a range of opinions on each subject, and aim to be politically impartial.

What happens next?

If the report stage and third reading of the Bill are passed in the House of Commons it moves to the House of Lords for consideration.

What is the report stage of a bill?

The report stage gives MPs an opportunity, on the floor of the House, to consider any further amendments (proposals for change) to a bill which has been examined in a public bill committee or on the floor of the House. There is no set time period between the end of committee stage and the start of the report stage.

What happens at report stage?

All MPs may speak and vote. For lengthy or complex bills, the debates may be spread over several days. All MPs can suggest amendments to the bill or new clauses (parts) that they think should be added.

What happens after report stage?

Report stage is usually followed immediately by debate on the bill's third reading.

What happens at third reading?

Debate on the bill is usually short, and limited to what is actually in the bill, rather than, as at second reading, what might have been included.

Amendments (proposals for change) cannot be made to a bill at a third reading in the Commons. At the end of the debate, the House decides (votes on) whether to approve the third reading of the bill.

What happens after third reading?

If the bill started in the Commons it goes to the House of Lords for its first reading.

If the bill started in the Lords it returns to the House of Lords for consideration of any amendments the Commons has made.

Watching proceedings from the public gallery

UK residents and overseas visitors can watch proceedings in the House of Commons by visiting the public gallery.

How to attend a debate in the Chamber or in Westminster Hall

This article was produced by the Commons Digital Outreach Team. Follow the @HouseofCommons on Twitter for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber