Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Standing Orders definition

What does Standing Orders mean? Standing Orders are the written procedural rules that govern how a legislature arranges and conducts its business, including the order of business, legislative stages, scrutiny of statutory instruments, admissibility of amendments and questions, time allocation/timetabling, quorums, divisions (voting) and the operation of committees. They also regulate public business and private business. Each House or Assembly adopts, amends and may suspend or dispense with its Standing Orders by motion, and they are published. The term is a procedural expression rather than a defined statutory or case‑law concept, though the making of Standing Orders is required (and sometimes constrained) by constitutional or statutory...

UK Parliament: Standing Orders in Commons and Lords, and Parliamentary Questions – key procedures, timings and practice (including PMQs and written questions)

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Practice notes

A central aspect of Parliamentary privilege is that each House holds the right to direct its own procedures. Numerous Rules and conventions influence how each House operates. Some of these are written and are known as Standing Orders. Standing Orders are written rules created by each House to govern its own proceedings. They cover, for instance, how business is scheduled and conducted, the conduct of MPs and Members of the Commons or Lords during debates, and provisions concerning committees. Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice is regarded as the definitive authority on parliamentary procedure. It sets out observed ‘rules’ within each House, including those relating to Standing Orders.

Standing Orders of the House of Commons

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons set out much (though not all) of the procedure and practice of the House. Standing Orders do not always mirror developments in the House’s actual practice, and cannot be read as a complete code of Parliamentary procedure. They are, however, a means of regulating parliamentary business in significant respects. They address matters such as:

sittings of the House
arrangement of business
questions, motions, amendments and statements
rules of

...

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Carl Gardner

LexisNexis

Carl is a Professional Support Lawyer, working on public law for LexisPSL. Carl was a government lawyer from 1995 to 2008. He was a legal adviser at the Department of Health, and then a senior legal adviser at DWP, Cabinet Office European Legal Advisers, the Attorney General’s Office and finally at HMRC. As a government lawyer he advised ministers and regulators, defended the government in UK and European courts, drafted legislation and negotiated for the UK in Europe. After that Carl taught public and EU law at the Open University and the National School of Government, then at BPP University Law School where he was subject leader in public and EU law until 2021....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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