{"id":127437,"date":"2020-01-09T14:31:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T13:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=127437"},"modified":"2020-01-09T16:20:20","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T15:20:20","slug":"private-members-bill-ballot-the-20-successful-backbenchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/private-members-bill-ballot-the-20-successful-backbenchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Private Members’ Bill ballot: The 20 successful backbenchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 lucky backbench MPs won the parliamentary lottery today in the Private Members’ Bill ballot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their numbers were drawn by Parliament\u2019s new principal Deputy Speaker, Dame Eleanor Laing, who is also known as the Chairman of Ways and Means.<\/p>\n

The MPs will have the opportunity to introduce their chosen Bill initially on Wednesday 5 February and then will have priority in terms of parliamentary debating time on 13 sitting Fridays during this session of parliament.<\/p>\n

Parliament’s Guide to Private Members’ Bills<\/a> (PMBs) sets the context for how they operate:<\/p>\n

\u2018As with other public bills their purpose is to change the law as it applies to the general population. A minority of Private Members’ Bills become law but, by creating publicity around an issue, they may affect legislation indirectly\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Hansard Society\u2019s Guide to PMBs<\/a> also explains that these new Bills must not increase Government spending or alter the tax system:<\/p>\n

\u2018The primary purpose of a PMB cannot be to create a new tax or increase Government spending; these are permitted only as secondary effects. And a PMB cannot be used to duplicate a decision that has already been made by the House of Commons earlier in the session.\u2019<\/p>\n

In the previous session of parliament, nine of those MPs saw their Bills pass into law and become Acts of Parliament:<\/p>\n