Parliamentary procedures for the Parliament of Palmshire

From Virtual Paradise Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Parliamentary procedures for the Parliament of Palmshire are the rules of order that govern the procedure for Parliament of Palmshire, although the Palmshire House of Lords and the Palmshire House of Commons may adopt different rules for their own house through their own Rules Committee to be appointed by either houses.

Commonly used motions

  • Motion to bring bills to vote - A motion to bring a bill to vote. It must be seconded and thirded from members for it to pass. This motion is automatically made unless a motion to table it is made by a member.
  • Motion to amend - A motion to amend a bill. It must be made before voting commences on the said bill. It must be seconded and thirded from members to pass. A member may make this motion by saying "I move to amend this bill that..." or "I propose to amend this bill that...".

Confidence motions

  • Motion of confidence - A motion to express Parliament's confidence in the current government appointed by the Sovereign. Failure for this motion to pass would be considered lack of Parliament's confidence in the government and, by convention, would require it to either resign or to dissolve the Parliament, which would then force a new general election. A member, usually those sitting in or supporting the Government, may propose this motion by saying "I move that this House has the confidence in the present Government...". The motion must be seconded to bring this motion to the vote. A two-thirds of the vote is required in either houses for this motion to pass.
  • Motion of no confidence - A motion to express Parliament's lack of confidence in the current government appointed by the Sovereign. If this motion succeeded, the present government would be required to resign or to call a general election. A member, usually those sitting in the Opposition, may propose this motion by saying "I move that this House has no confidence in the present Government...". The motion must be seconded to bring this motion to the vote. A two-thirds of the vote is required in either houses for this motion to pass. (As amended by a motion made in 2015, a member making this motion must provide a reason to the Speaker, unless the prime minister has not attended last two meetings in a row, after which no reason is required)

Other and infrequently used motions

  • Motion to end debate - Typically, at beginning of each Parliamentary sitting, a five minutes is allocated for a debate unless a motion is made by a member to end the debate before the five-minute period expires by saying "I move to end this debate." It must be seconded for the motion to be passed.
  • Motion to extend limits of debate - As stated above, the debate period is five minutes by default. However, a member may make a motion to extend time length for the debate by saying "I move to extend this debate by (amount of time)." It must be seconded for the motion to be passed.
  • Motion to adjourn the sitting - Parliamentary sitting is typically adjourned (or ended) by the presiding Speaker of the House of Commons or Lord Speaker (for the House of Lords) at his/her discretion. However, a member may move to adjourn the sitting until the next time and date to be specified by saying "I move that this House be adjourned until (time and date)." It must be seconded and thirded for this motion to be passed.
  • Motion to recess - A motion to call a recess for the Parliamentary sitting for a given period of length. In essence, it may be used to allow for a break during the sitting, in which members may leaves chamber but are expected to remain nearby. A member may make this motion by saying "I move to recess this House for (length of time)." It must be seconded for this motion to be passed.
  • Motion to table - A motion to suspend consideration of a bill or motion before the House. In effect, it meant that, if this motion passed, the House may not consider this bill or motion any further. This motion must be seconded and thirded for this to pass. A member may make this motion by saying "I move to table this (bill/motion)."
  • Motion to commit/refer - A motion to refer a bill to a committee. A member may make this motion by saying "I move to commit this bill."

Privileged motions

A privileged motion is a motion in parliamentary procedure that is granted precedence over ordinary business because it concerns matters of great importance or urgency. Such motions are not debatable, although in case of questions of privilege, the chair may feel the need to elicit relevant facts from members. It includes disciplinary motions.

  • Motion to impeach - A motion may be made only in the House of Commons to impeach government ministers (including Prime Minister), Members/Lords of Parliament, or officers of the Parliament (including Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Speaker) for certain offenses (the Sovereign may not be impeached, as the Parliament in theory derives its power from the Sovereign. Therefore it would be unthinkable for them to impeach the very source of their power). A Member of Parliament may make this motion by saying "I move to impeach (accused person's name)." It must be seconded for this motion to be brought before the Commons. Following that, two-thirds of vote is required for this motion to pass. Once motion passes, the House of Lords must then hold a trial for the said accused and two-thirds of votes in that House is required for conviction. No Speakers may deny this motion if made, even if the motion concerns him or her as this motion is highly privileged.
  • Motion to elect a Speaker - A motion may be made to elect a new Speaker for either Houses at any time. A member may make this motion by saying "I move that this house elect a new Speaker." This motion only need to be seconded to pass. Following that, the House must then hold a election for its Speaker. If the Speaker's position in one of the Houses is vacant and not filled by election yet, by default the Sovereign may preside over the sittings unless he or she designates a member of that house to exercise those duties until next election. This is highly privileged motion that cannot be denied by either Speakers, acting or not.