Definitions
1 Definitions (HC 1)
(1) In these orders, unless the context otherwise requires—
"community" means a community for the purposes of the Local Government Act 1972;
"deposited" with reference to a plan, section, book of reference or ordnance map, means deposited in accordance with Standing Order 27 (Deposit of plan, book of reference, section, etc.);
"district" in relation to England means metropolitan district or non-metropolitan district;
"Examiners" means the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills appointed under Standing Order 69 (Appointment of Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills), and
"the Examiner" means that one of the Examiners who deals with any particular petition, bill or other matter;
"functions" includes powers and duties;
"lessee" includes a reputed lessee, and a person holding an agreement for a lease;
"local authority" means any of the following:—
In England,
(a) the council of a county,
(b) the council of a district,
(c) the council of a parish or group of parishes or the parish meeting of a parish which has no separate
parish council,
(d) the council of a London borough,
(e) the Greater London Authority;
In Scotland, a council for a local government area;
In Wales,
(a) the council of a county,
(b) the council of a county borough,
(c) the council of a community or group of communities or the community meeting of a community which
has no separate council;
"London" except where the context otherwise requires, means Greater London;
"London borough" includes the City of London and "council of a London borough" includes the Common Council of the City of London;
"long adjournment" means any period of ten or more consecutive days on which the House, being adjourned, does not sit for public business;
"mechanical power" includes every motive power not being animal power;
"minister of the Crown" means the holder of an office in Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, and includes the Treasury;
"occupier" applies only to persons whose interest in the premises occupied is not less than that of a quarterly tenant;
"ordnance map" means a map published, prepared, or approved by the Ordnance Survey;
"owner" includes a reputed owner;
“parish” means a parish for the purposes of the Local Government Act 1972;
“pier” includes quay and wharf;
“provisional order” includes pilotage order;
“sitting day” means a day on which the House sits for public business;
“tramroad” means a tramway laid otherwise than along a street or road and shall for the purpose of these orders be deemed not to be a tramway; and when a bill relates to a tramway laid partly along, and partly not along, a street or road, the provisions of these orders relating to tramways and tramroads respectively shall apply to the parts laid along, and the parts not laid along, a street or road respectively whatever may be the description of the whole system used in the bill;
“trolley vehicle system” means a system of traction whereby vehicles adapted for use upon roads without rails are moved by electrical power transmitted thereto from some external source;
“unitary district” means a non-metropolitan district which is not included in the area of a county council;
“water company” means a company appointed to be a water undertaker or a sewerage undertaker under Chapter 1 of Part II of the Water Act 1989;
“waterway” includes canal and inland navigation.
(2) Other expressions defined in the Interpretation Act 1978 have the same meanings in these orders as if these orders were an Act of Parliament passed after the commencement of that Act.
(3) Where the standing orders require anything to be deposited with, or delivered or sent to, the proper officer of a local authority, that requirement shall be satisfied by depositing it with or delivering or sending it to, the chief executive of the authority for transmission (where the chief executive is not the proper officer) to that officer.
(4) Any provision in these orders requiring or authorising a document to be signed by any person shall, where that person is a body corporate, be construed as requiring or authorising the document to be signed by the agent for the body corporate or any other person acting under the authority of the body corporate, expressed or implied:
Provided that, if the document is a petition for a bill or for an additional provision, the petition shall be under the seal of the body corporate.
(5) Where by virtue of any Act of Parliament or order in council any functions of any minister have, whether before or after the date of making of these standing orders, been transferred to some other minister—
(a) references in any standing order to the minister from whom the functions have been transferred shall, so
far as the standing order relates to the subject matter of the transferred functions, have effect as if for
such references there were substituted references to the minister to whom the functions have been
transferred;
(b) and references to any ministry shall be construed accordingly.
For the purposes of this order "minister" includes any government department.
(6) References in any standing order to registered post, a registered letter or to the registration of such letters shall be construed as including a reference to the recorded delivery service, a letter sent by that service and the acceptance by an officer of the Post Office of letters for recorded delivery, respectively.
(7) For the purposes of Standing Orders 48, 50, 52, 56 and 57 distances from one of the termini of a railway, tramroad or tramway (as the case may be) may be marked at intervals of 200 metres.
(8) References in any standing order to the submission of a petition against a bill is a petition submitted electronically, by post or in person, received within the prescribed time limit.
1A Deposit and delivery of documents, etc., at offices of government departments and public bodies
(HC 1A)
(1) Any reference in a provision of these orders to a document, or to a copy or copies of a document, being deposited or delivered in accordance with, or by reference to, this order is a reference to the document, or to a copy or copies of the document, being deposited or delivered—
(a) at the offices of such government departments and public bodies as may be specified in the list, and
(b) if the context so admits, in such quantities as may be so specified.
(2) The deposit or delivery of any such document may be made in readily accessible electronic form, with the agreement of the recipient.
(3) Where an electronic version has been deposited or delivered, the promoters shall inform the recipient that a hard copy is available on request, and, if desired, such copies should be provided within a reasonable time.
(4) In paragraph (1) above—
"document" includes any bill, plan, section, book of reference, ordnance map, environmental or other statement or estimate;
"the list" means the list which, for the purposes of this order, is compiled and maintained by the Private Bill Office under the direction of the Chairman of Committees.
(5) The provisions of these orders which contain such references as are mentioned in paragraph (1) above are—
(a) Standing Order 27(9),
(b) Standing Order 27A(1),
(c) Standing Order 29,
(d) Standing Order 30,
(e) Standing Order 30A(1),
(f) Standing Order 31(1),
(g) Standing Order 32,
(h) Standing Order 33,
(i) Standing Order 34,
(j) Standing Order 35,
(k) Standing Order 36,
(l) Standing Order 37,
(m) Standing Order 39,
(n) Standing Order 41,
(o) Standing Order 42,
(p) Standing Order 43,
(q) Standing Order 44,
(r) Standing Order 45(3), and,
(s) Standing Order 47(2).