Notices and deposits in the Parliament Office

201 Time for delivering notices and making deposits (HC 209)

(1) All notices required to be given, or deposits required to be made, in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments shall be delivered or made, unless otherwise directed, in that office between 11 am and 5 pm on any sitting day, and between 11 am and 1 pm on any other day.

(2) When the time for delivering notices, or making deposits, expires on a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or any bank holiday, the time shall be extended to the next day following which is not such a day.

201A  Extension of time for presenting petitions

(1) This order applies to—
       (a) a petition against a private bill other than a petition required by Standing Order 101 (Limit of time for 
            presenting petition against bill) to be submitted on or before 6th February;
       (b) a petition against a provisional order confirmation bill;
       (c) a petition against a hybrid instrument to which Standing Order 216 (Hybrid instruments) applies;
       (d) anything required to be done in either  House under Standing Orders 203 to 215.

(2) Where the last day allowed by these standing orders for the deposit or submission of a petition to which this standing order applies or for the doing of anything required to be done in either House by the said Standing Orders 203 to 215 expires when Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during a long adjournment, then the last day so allowed shall be the first day on which the House sits for public business after the dissolution, prorogation or long adjournment.

(3) If the House is recalled in pursuance of Public Business Standing Order 16 (Recall of the House) or proclamation, a day on which the House sits pursuant to the recall shall be disregarded for the purpose of paragraph (2).

(4) The preceding provisions of this order, except paragraph (3), apply to the period of 21 days prescribed by section 3(1) of the Statutory Orders (Special Procedure) Act 1945 as amended by the Statutory Orders (Special Procedure) Act 1965 for the deposit of petitions against special procedure orders.

201B  Late submitted petitions relating to hybrid bill (HC 171C)

(1) This order applies to any government bill in relation to which the Examiner decides that Standing Orders 4 to 68 are applicable.

(2) Any petitioner whose petition is submitted after the close of the petitioning period, and which is in accordance with these Standing Orders, shall be invited to provide a written explanation as to why the petition has been submitted late. This does not apply to petitions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 109(b).

(3) The relevant Minister may provide a written submission in respect of any petition submitted after the close of the petitioning period where a written explanation has been provided by the petitioner.

(4) The decision on whether a late petition should be accepted is a matter for the Standing Orders Committee.

(5) The Standing Orders Committee shall report to the House if the petition is accepted for submission.

(6) There is no appeal from the decision of the Standing Orders Committee.