In the early part of the Twenty First Century, the time available on the main floor of the House of Commons for so called Private Members debates had become curtailed.
This led to the development of the Westminster Hall format. Sittings in Westminster Hall have now become part of the landscape for the Commons. These sittings take the form of a series of ‘adjournment debates’ of varying lengths, 30 and 90 minutes being the norm.
Sittings in Westminster Hall take place from 9.30am to 11.30am and then from 2pm to 4.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on Thursdays.
In the afternoons, debates may suspended for divisions and some key statements in the House of Commons itself. If this happens, the time in Westminster Hall is extended accordingly.
For Tuesdays and Wednesdays, a timetable determines which Departments will make Ministers available to respond to debates and this governs what subjects may be chosen on any particular day.
On Thursdays, government or select committee business may be debated for two hours. Cross-cutting questions may also be taken. Cross cutting questions are intended to give MPs the opportunity to question Ministers in different Departments on issues that do not fit easily into one Departmental brief (eg Young People). The procedure is the same as for normal oral questions, except that two Ministers may answer the same question.
Westminster Hall is in effect a mini Commons chamber found in another part of the Palace of Westminster. Also known as the Grand Committee Room, the layout of this secondary chamber is in a U shaped format, designed to reflect the non partisan nature of the debates held there.
