Once the Government has completed its consultation on a proposal, it will introduce a draft Act, known as a Bill, into Parliament. Bills can be introduced in the House of Lords but most important or politically controversial legislation is introduced in the House of Commons. This formal introduction of the Bill is called its First Reading. Once it has received its First Reading, the Bill is printed and the text becomes available through the Stationery Office ( Making the law links ).
Within two or three weeks of its First Reading, a Bill is given its Second Reading, when the House debates the broad principles behind the Bill. The Bill is then referred to its Committee Stage. This stage is usually delegated to a Standing Committee of between 18 and 50 Members of Parliament that reflects the party composition of the House and includes at least one minister from the Government department responsible for the Bill. It is in Committee that the Bill receives its closest scrutiny, and where most amendments to it are likely to be made. The Committee Stage of a lengthy Bill may therefore last several weeks. Once the Committee has finished scrutinising the Bill, it goes back to the whole House for its Report Stage, when further amendments may be made. The Bill is then given its Third Reading, which may involve a brief debate, after which it is transferred to the other House.
A Bill that was introduced in the Commons will pass to the House of Lords. The various stages are then repeated. If the House of Lords amends a Bill that originated in the Commons, the Commons will consider whether to accept the amendments. Although the Lords can delay a piece of legislation by amending it, they cannot block the Bill indefinitely or insist that their amendments are accepted.
Once the Bill has passed through all stages in both Houses of Parliament, it receives Royal Assent. At that point, the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, though it will not necessarily come into force immediately. It is common for employment legislation to come into force in stages, with various sections of the Act being brought into effect at different dates by what are known as Commencement Orders. This is usually done to give employers time to prepare for the implementation of the new law.
Bills usually take several months to complete their passage through Parliament. It is possible to track their progress by referring to the House of Commons Weekly Information Bulletin ( Making the law links ). The full text of debates on legislation, including the Committee Stage, is published in Hansard, the official report of debates in Parliament ( Making the law links ). The final text of Acts can be obtained from the Stationery Office ( Making the law links ).
Explanatory Notes are often produced to accompany major pieces of legislation and are also available through the Stationery Office ( Making the law links ). These summarise the content of the Bill or Act, give some background information on it and explain its content. The Notes also give an indication of the probable financial impact of the legislation on business and on public finances.
It is possible for back-bench Members of Parliament to introduce a Bill into Parliament. Because of the pressures on the Parliamentary timetable, these Private Members' Bills are very unlikely to become law unless the Government decides to 'adopt' them. Their main purpose is therefore to raise the profile of a particular issue and generate public debate on whether legislation is needed.