➡️ Business without Debate

Commons Chamber

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Parliament saw a flurry of bills facing objections, delaying their progress to the next stage. Key among them were proposals on homelessness prevention, consumer protection in building works, and exemptions from VAT for various services and goods. Other notable bills included those addressing vehicle registration, nurse titles, and women’s state pension age, all set for future debates. The session highlighted a packed legislative agenda with widespread interest across diverse topics.

Summary

  • Homelessness Prevention Bill: The bill has been read a second time and will now go to a Public Bill Committee for further review.

  • Domestic Building Works (Consumer Protection) Bill: The second reading of this bill was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 13 June.

  • Exemption from Value Added Tax (Listed Places of Worship) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Exemption from Value Added Tax (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Caravan Site Licensing (Exemptions of Motor Homes) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Vehicle Registration Documents (Sale of Vehicle) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 5 September.

  • Nurse (Use of Title) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 20 June.

  • Women’s State Pension Age (Ombudsman Report and Compensation Scheme) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 4 July.

  • Arm’s-Length Bodies (Review) Bill: Due to an error in the Public Bill Office, the bill was initially printed with an incorrect title. It has been reprinted with the correct text. The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 (Amendment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Statutory Instruments Act 1946 (Amendment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (Amendment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Domestic Energy (Value Added Tax) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • BBC Licence Fee Non-Payment (Decriminalisation for Over-75s) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Quantitative Easing (Prohibition) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Pets (Microchips) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Payments Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Anonymity of Suspects Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Children’s Clothing (Value Added Tax) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Highways Act 1980 (Amendment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • British Broadcasting Corporation (Privatisation) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Illegal Immigration (Offences) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Vaccine Damage Payments Act (Review) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • NHS England (Alternative Treatment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Terminal Illness (Relief of Pain) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 18 July.

  • Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Sentencing Council (Powers of Secretary of State) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

  • Arm’s-Length Bodies (Accountability to Parliament) Bill: The second reading was objected to and will be rescheduled for Friday, 25 April.

Divisiveness

The session appears to exhibit minimal disagreement. Throughout the transcript, bills are proposed for their Second reading, and in each case, the response from the ‘Hon. Members’ is simply ‘Object’ without further elaboration or debate. This indicates a consistent and uniform objection to the progression of each bill without engaging in any form of detailed discussion or argumentation that would suggest a higher level of disagreement. The lack of any specific comments or debates further suggests that the objections might be procedural or a formality rather than stemming from substantive disagreement on the content of the bills. For example, the Homelessness Prevention Bill, Domestic Building Works (Consumer Protection) Bill, and every other bill listed follow the same pattern where the objection is immediate and devoid of context or debate. This kind of uniform, brief objection does not indicate high levels of disagreement but rather a procedural norm in this setting.