Rahuldevrajburman at 15:24, 20 February 2022

2022-02-20T15:24:16Z

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{{Short description|Form of parliamentary debate}}
In the [[Westminster system]], an '''adjournment debate''' is a [[Debate (parliamentary procedure)|debate]] on the [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|motion]], "That this House do now [[Adjournment|adjourn]]." In practice, this is a way of enabling the House to have a debate on a subject without considering a substantive motion.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/adjournment/
| title = Adjournment debates
| website = UK Parliament
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice6/Practice6HTML?file=Chapter16&section=07&fullscreen=1
| title = Adjournment Debate
| website = www.aph.gov.au
| publisher = Parliament of Australia
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.oireachtasbrief.ie/about-the-oireachtas/debates-and-adjournment-debates/
| title = Debates and adjournment debates {{!}} OIREACHTAS BRIEF
| website = www.oireachtasbrief.ie
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref>

== Types of debate ==
There are generally two types of adjournment debate: those proposed by the government, which are used from time to time to permit general debates on topical subjects (e.g. flooding and coastal defenses, regional affairs or [[International Women's Day]]); and the half-hour adjournment at the end of each day's sitting.<ref name=":0" /> The half-hour adjournment is an opportunity for a [[backbencher|backbench]] [[Member of Parliament]] to raise a subject of their choosing, of which advance notice has been given, with the appropriate [[government minister]].<ref name=":0" /> Normally, only the member raising the debate and the minister who is replying speak in the half-hour adjournment.<ref name=":0" /> It is not uncommon for the chamber otherwise to be empty.

The convention is that any subject may be raised on a motion for the adjournment, since any matter of national or local importance may offer a good reason for the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House]] to continue sitting (i.e. the House should not adjourn until it has considered the topic in hand).<ref name=":0" />

It is not usual for the House to vote on the adjournment motion; it is either agreed to without a vote, or it lapses once the allotted time has expired. On rare occasions, however, where the debate concerns a matter on which there are strong differences of opinion (such as the prospect of going to war), backbench members may engineer a vote. It was a vote on a motion for the adjournment which brought down British Prime Minister [[Neville Chamberlain]]'s government during [[World War II]] – the so-called [[Norway Debate]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NpvlCQAAQBAJ
| title = Finest and Darkest Hours
| last = Jefferys
| first = Kevin
| date = 2015-09-10
| publisher = Atlantic Books Ltd
| isbn = 9781782398691
| language = en
}}</ref> Though Chamberlain won the vote (with the Government voting 'Aye', their opponents 'No'), his government's majority was considerably reduced to the point that his credibility was fatally undermined and he felt obliged to resign two days later.<ref name=":1" />

In the [[House of Commons of Canada]], coming as it does at the end of the sitting day, the adjournment debate is colloquially known as the "late show."<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_d_adjournmentproceedingslateshow-e.htm
| title = Adjournment Proceedings (Late Show)
| website = www.parl.gc.ca
| publisher = Canada House of Commons
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==See also==
*[[Take-note debate]]
[[Category:Westminster system]]
[[Category:Parliamentary procedure]]
[[Category:Debate types]]

Adjournment debate - Revision history

Rahuldevrajburman at 15:24, 20 February 2022