In considering the order of business the standing committee shall give special consideration to items —
and may also allot special times at which such items shall, unless previously disposed of, be taken and set time-limits for debates on any motions, where it considers this to be necessary.
The order of business may be varied by resolution of the synod or, unless any member objects, by the chairman.
Subject to standing order 16, notice of any business for a meeting of the synod shall be in writing, signed and delivered to the secretary by hand or by post not later than the period before the meeting which is specified in standing order 24.
The following periods of notice shall be required —
| New business for the agenda | 35 days |
| Motions arising from the agenda | 7 days |
| Questions under standing order 68 | 7 days |
Notice of the following business shall not be required —:
Except as provided by standing order 16, one third of the members of each house shall form a quorum of the synod which shall be necessary for the consideration of all business except the adjournment of the synod under standing order 52 or of a debate under standing order 53.
If a quorum is not present, the chairman shall adjourn the synod until such time as he may determine. Any member may call the attention of the chairman to the absence of a quorum at any time before the question is put on a motion or amendment. A quorum shall thereafter be deemed to be present and it shall not be in order to query again the presence of a quorum until after the chairman has conclusively announced the result of the vote on that question.
The chairman shall call upon members who desire to speak and may require them to give their names to the secretary in writing. He shall also determine the order in which they speak.
The chairman shall call a member to order for failure to address the chair, irrelevance, tedious repetition of arguments previously put forward by the same or any other member, unbecoming language, disregard of the authority of the chairman, or any other breach of order, and may order the member to end any speech which he is making.
A member may submit a point of order under these standing orders at any time and for this purpose may interrupt another speaker. A member rising to a point of order shall state what he has to say in the form of a succinct question.
A member may ask permission to interrupt a debate to make a personal explanation but only so as to correct an important misunderstanding of fact during that debate with regard to what he has said, or to explain some matter of strictly personal concern, and for this purpose may interrupt another speaker. Such permission shall be given only if any person interrupted consents and if in the opinion of the chairman the debate is likely to benefit from such an explanation.
(1) Save as provided in standing orders 30 and 31 the interruption of a speech (by question, point of information or otherwise) shall not be permitted, but where it occurs in breach of this standing order it shall be reckoned as a speech on the question before the synod and shall preclude the interrupter from speaking further on that question.
(2) The ruling of the chairman on a point of order or the admissibility of a personal explanation shall not be open to question.
A member shall not speak unless upon a motion or amendment save as provided in standing orders 30, 31 and 68.
A member shall not speak more than once upon the same question, except —
(1) Save as provided in these standing orders, no speech shall exceed 10 minutes or, in the case of a member introducing a report, 15 minutes, but the chairman may at any time lengthen or shorten either of those period; provided that he shall inform the synod of his ruling, which shall not be open to debate or question.
(2) This standing order does not apply to a member of the legislative committee in presenting a measure to the synod.
(1) No matter may be debated in the synod unless it has been moved by a member.
(2) A motion or amendment which, when called by the chairman, is not moved by the member who has given notice thereof may be moved by any other member in his stead.
No motion or amendment to the same effect as, or dependent on, one which has been rejected within the preceding 12 months and no motion to rescind a resolution passed within the same period shall be proposed without leave of the standing committee.
The chairman may, with the consent of the mover, divide any motion or amendment in such manner as to enable the synod to express its judgment separately upon each part of the motion or amendment so divided.
(1) During the debate on any motion, it shall not be in order to move a further motion to refer back that motion or any recommendation to which it relates, but if otherwise permissible an amendment to that effect may be moved.
(2) Where a motion so amended is carried but specifies no-one to whom the matter is to be so referred, this question shall be decided by the standing committee.
(3) No amendment shall be moved for the reference back of any matter referred by the General Synod to the synod.