This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on the Northern Ireland Budget Bill in advance of its second reading and remaining stages, due to take place in the House of Lords on 31 October 2019. It also identifies relevant reports and useful documents, including parliamentary materials and press articles, which may be of assistance to Members in preparing for that debate.
Northern Ireland Budget Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (243KB PDF)
In the absence of an Executive or an Assembly in Northern Ireland, this bill makes provision for the Northern Ireland budget for the year ending 31 March 2020. Initial authority to provide funds for the year 2019/20 was provided by the Northern Ireland Budget (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2019. However, these initial amounts are expected to begin to be exhausted from 31 October 2019. The bill is therefore intended to complete the authorisations for the full financial year. No new money will be voted as a result of the bill; instead, it appropriates approximately £5.31 billion already provided for in the Consolidated Fund of Northern Ireland. It also authorises the use of resources by Northern Ireland departments and public bodies of approximately £6.04 billion.
The bill received its first reading in the House of Commons on 29 October 2019 and is due to complete all its remaining stages on 30 October 2019. It is then expected to complete its second reading and all remaining stages in the House of Lords on 31 October 2019. Such fast-tracking is not unusual for Northern Ireland budget bills: the bills which became the Northern Ireland Budget Acts 2017 and 2018 also passed through their stages on a single day in each House.
The Leader of the House of Commons has stated that it is necessary to pass the bill before Parliament is dissolved for a general election, providing a further reason for fast-tracking. As a general election is now expected to be held on 12 December 2019, Parliament will need to dissolve by 6 November 2019 and the bill will need to have received royal assent by the end of 5 November 2019.
The bill has been designated as a ‘money bill’ and therefore the House of Lords may not amend it. Although the Lords will debate the bill at second reading, later stages will go through formally without debate.
Northern Ireland Budget Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (243KB PDF)
The House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber Bill) [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru). It would require the secretary of state to carry out a consultation regarding proposals for replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber. The bill specifies whom the secretary of state would be required to consult with and the timeframe of that consultation.
![House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 11 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/House-of-Lords-568x426.png)
The Sovereign Grant Bill is a government bill which would amend how the sovereign grant is set. This is a grant paid to the King to support the work of the sovereign. The bill would enable the size of the sovereign grant to be reduced following the completion of a 10-year works project on Buckingham Palace. The bill received cross-party support and was not amended in the House of Commons.
The bill is a government bill that would make a range of changes to the legal framework concerning elections, including extending the franchise for UK parliamentary elections and other reserved elections to 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill was amended during both its committee and report stages in the House of Commons, with many of the government’s later amendments implementing recommendations from the Rycroft review on countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics.
