Debates in the House of Commons take place on a motion to which amendments may be tabled.
The motion for a debate appears on the Order Paper as does the text of any amendment.
The Speaker selects which amendment will be debated. A substantive motion allows for a division to take place, if necessary, to demonstrate the precise opinion of the House.
A debate on a substantive motion will begin with the relevant Minister or MP who tabled to the motion making a speech in support of it and taking interventions from other MPs, which take the form of brief questions.
After the opening speech, relevant Opposition front-benchers are called, followed by back-benchers. The debate ends with responses from the front-bench before the chair puts the questions required to dispose of business. This may include votes on amendments to the motion.
One special kind of substantive motion is one tabled by the Government to seek approval for expenditure.
So-called ‘Estimates’ are put before the House on set days of the Session. The motions lay out the estimated spending of each department in that financial year. The motion allows for a debate on an issue linked to that department, although not all the motions are debated, all must be approved.
