Private Members' Bill Ballot: 26 May 2016
23 May 2016 (updated on 23 May 2016)
The ballot for Commons Private Members’ Bills for the 2016-17 session took place at 9am on Thursday 26 May. Scottish National Party MP John Nicolson was drawn in first place.
The Chairman of Ways and Means, Lindsay Hoyle, drew the names of twenty MPs in reverse order. The Member drawn at position one has the first choice of a Private Members’ Bill Friday to debate their Bill.
Position in the ballot:
- John Nicolson (SNP, East Dunbartonshire)
- Bob Blackman (Conservative, Harrow East)
- Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative, Elmet and Rothwell)
- Pat Glass (Labour, North West Durham)
- Gareth Johnson (Conservative, Dartford)
- Mhairi Black (SNP, Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
- Dr Eilidh Whiteford (SNP, Banff and Buchan)
- Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative, Rochester and Strood)
- Edward Argar (Conservative, Charnwood)
- James Morris (Conservative, Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
- Roger Mullin (SNP, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
- Byron Davies (Conservative, Gower)
- David Tredinnick (Conservative, Bosworth)
- Andrew Gwynne (Labour, Denton and Reddish)
- Louise Haigh (Labour, Sheffield, Heeley)
- Peter Lilley (Conservative, Hitchin and Harpenden)
- Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative, Bridgwater and West Somerset)
- John Glen (Conservative, Salisbury)
- Lucy Allan (Conservative, Telford)
- Dan Jarvis (Labour, Barnsley Central)
The ballot for Private Members’ Bills gives MPs the chance to be one of the first 20 to introduce a Private Members’ Bill on a subject of their choice, in the 2016-17 session. Those drawn higher in the ballot are more likely to get time to debate their Bill.
Presentation of Bills
The Ballot Bills will have their first reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday 29 June 2016 and will then be considered on sitting Fridays. Time for debating Private Members' Bills is limited to 13 Fridays in each session of Parliament.
The following Fridays have been set for discussion of Private Members’ Bills in 2016-17:
- 21 October 2016
- 28 October 2016
- 4 November 2016
- 18 November 2016
- 25 November 2016
- 2 December 2016
- 16 December 2016
- 13 January 2017
- 20 January 2017
- 27 January 2017
- 3 February 2017
- 24 February 2017
- 24 March 2017
Related information
House of Commons briefing note
The House of Commons Public Bill Office has prepared a briefing note which contains more information on the practical arrangements for the ballot.
Success of Private Members' Ballot Bills
The following were Private Members' Bills from the ballot that became law in the 2015-16 Parliamentary session:
- Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Act 2016
- Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information) Act 2016
- NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc) Act 2016
- Riot Compensation Act 2016
What are Private Members' Bills?
Private Members' Bills are Public Bills introduced by MPs and Lords who are not government ministers. As with other Public Bills their purpose is to change the law as it applies to the general population. A minority of Private Members' Bills become law.
There are three ways in which a Member can table a Private Members' Bill but Ballot Bills have the best chance of becoming law, as they get priority for the limited amount of debating time available.
The names of Members applying for a Bill are drawn in a ballot held at the beginning of the parliamentary year. Normally, the first seven ballot Bills get a day's debate.
- Find out more about Private Members' Bills
- Find out how a Bill becomes law
- Watch the Private Members' Bills Ballot for the 2015-16 session
Follow @HouseofCommons on Twitter for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber.
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