The title and main aims of the bill are announced and copies of the bill are distributed.
At this stage, there is no debate.
Many Private Members' bills do not pass this stage.
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Second Reading (Debate on general principles)
The House debates the whole bill, focusing on the general principles.
The promoter of the bill begins the debate.
At the end of the debate, there is a vote for and against it.
Should the bill progress beyond this stage, it is likely to eventually become an Act.
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Committee Stage (Line by line discussion)
Then the bill is passed to the Standing Committee, which comprises of between 16 - 50 MPs selected to represent each party. The MPs chosen will generally have a particular interest or specialist knowledge of the bill's content.
At this stage in the House of Lords, there is no Standing Committee. The whole House scrutinises the bill.
The Standing Committee scrutinises the bill line by line, making amendments to ensure it is in line with the general approval given by the House.
Amendments to the bill, if any, are voted on before the bill can progress.
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Report Stage (Report on changes made)
The Standing Committee report any amendments made to the bill at the committee stage to the whole House.
Each amendment is debated and a vote is taken to decide if the amendment should be accepted or rejected.
Should not amendments be made at the committee stage, there is no need for the report stage, so the bill will progress directly to the third reading.
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Third Reading (Final vote)
The third and final vote is merely a formality.
Here, there is a review of the whole bill. A vote is taken to decide if it should proceed to the House of Lords.
As it has been successful at other stages, the bill is unlikely to fail now.
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Limited Power of the House of Lords
When the bill reaches the House of Lords, the stages repeat again.
At this stage, the House of Lords is able to make any amendments to the bill, approximately 90% of which are accepted by the Commons. However, the Commons can veto any amendments the Lords make.
In the event that the Lords do not approve of a bill which has been passed bythe Commons, the Lords can delay the passage of a bill for up to a year, under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949.
A bill may undergo a process known as 'ping-ponging', where it is passed between the Houses continually.
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Royal Assent
Once a bill has been passed, it requires Royal Assent to become law.
It is no longer necessary for the Monarch to assent. The Speaker of the House of Commons can now perform this duty.
On the day Royal Assent is granted, the bill becomes law.
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