Elin Jones
Plaid Cymru
5:48,
30 June 2021
That brings us to voting time, and the first vote is on the debate on a Member's legislative proposal on a Bill on a rights-based approach to services for older people. I call for a vote on the motion tabled in the name of Gareth Davies. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 29, 17 abstentions, seven against, and therefore the motion is agreed.
Division number 3235
Item 6 - Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: A Bill on a rights-based approach to services for older people
Elin Jones
Plaid Cymru
5:49,
30 June 2021
The next vote is on the Plaid Cymru debate on climate and biodiversity. I call for a vote first of all on the motion, tabled in the name of Siân Gwenllian. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 40, no abstentions and 13 against, therefore the motion is agreed.
Division number 3236
Item 7 - Plaid Cymru Debate - Motion without amendment
Elin Jones
Plaid Cymru
5:49,
30 June 2021
And therefore, if the motion is agreed, the motion is agreed, and there will be no votes on the amendments. That concludes voting time.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
