Speaker’s Rulings — Committee of the Whole House—Presiding Officers

Members have asked that I give consideration to the ways in which a debate in the Committee of the whole House may come to an end, and to the role of the Chairperson in the debate. The Chairperson has a duty to ensure that all sides may take part in the debate and to protect the ability of the minority to participate. He or she does so by listening to the debate, judging relevance, keeping order, and ensuring that members have the opportunity to contribute. This is particularly the case in the Committee of the whole House, where members are usually entitled to seek multiple calls on a question.

The Chairperson must consider the relevance of each contribution to a debate; he or she is the sole judge of relevance, and the Speaker will not interfere with the decision of the Chairperson on the question of relevancy. Where a member’s contribution is not relevant to the question before the Committee, the Chairperson may invite the member to return to the matter being debated. Equally, a member who persists in repeating a relevant argument that has been advanced many times before may be invited to present fresh arguments. The Chairperson may terminate a member’s speech where he or she persists with irrelevance or tedious repetition after a warning.

The Chairperson may terminate a speech, but not a debate. There are several ways that a debate in the Committee of the whole House may come to an end. A time-limited debate will conclude at the expiry of the time allowed for it. Any debate will end if members no longer seek the call. In that situation, the Chairperson should pause to ascertain that no member is seeking the call before putting the question. A debate may also conclude when the Committee decides to end it by agreeing to a closure. A Chairperson’s discretionary authority is triggered at the point that a closure is moved. He or she determines whether to accept the closure.

The Chairperson’s judgment about whether a debate should end, because members are no longer seeking the call or because a closure has been moved, must be carefully exercised. Once the Chairperson has finished putting the question a vote must follow, and there can be no further debate on the question. A vote once commenced must be completed. I trust this clarifies the ending of debate in Committee of the whole House for the future.