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House of Lords: Parliamentary Procedure

Question for Leader of the House of Lords

UIN HL1135, tabled on 6 July 2015

To ask the Leader of the House whether the speaking rights of the second largest opposition party front bench in the House of Lords can be reallocated to the opposition party with the second highest votes cast at the last general election.

Answered on

20 July 2015

The second largest opposition party is neither formally defined nor given specific speaking rights by the Standing Orders of the House or the Companion to the Standing Orders. The Companion to Standing Orders does, however, set out several areas where the “opposition front benches” have the right to speak for longer than backbenchers or have rights to speak at specific points in proceedings.

Of the political parties represented in the House, only the Official Opposition and the Liberal Democrat group operate frontbenches of a size that permits them to shadow each Government department. It is for that reason that the definition of “opposition frontbenches” that applied in practice before the 2010 Parliament has been reverted to in this Parliament.

It remains open to any member who wishes to propose a change to current arrangements to make representations to me and/or make a submission to the Procedure Committee.