Outlawries Bill - Ceremonial Purpose

Ceremonial Purpose

The bill is introduced after the Queen's Speech, after the Commons have returned to their chamber, but before any debate on the contents of the Speech. No Member of Parliament presents it, nor has it been ordered to be printed in recent times, and it is not intended to make any further progress. However, it bears symbolic import; by not discussing the contents of the Queen's speech immediately, the Commons is demonstrating that it can debate on whatever it chooses, and set its own business.

The practice of giving a first reading to a bill before debating the Speech dates back to at least 1558, with the purpose of this practice being first explained in a 1604 bill. Various bills were used for the purpose - originally they were just normal bills and could progress to a second reading. The Outlawries Bill was first introduced in the 1727 session and has been used every year thereafter (except for 1741 and 1742).

John Wilkes interrupted the reading of the bill in 1763, to complain about his imprisonment, but the Speaker required the bill to be dealt with first. In 1794, Richard Sheridan used the reading of the bill to raise the subject of the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act.

The usefulness of the bill was last considered in 2002. The Procedure Committee investigated the history of the bill and determined that because it has symbolic meaning and takes very little time to announce, there is no need to abandon it.