Synod Standing Orders 41-60

41. Special powers of chairman

Unless the synod otherwise provides, the chairman shall —

(a) adjourn the synod at the hours fixed in accordance with these standing orders;

(b) adjourn the debate on any question at the hour fixed for the commencement of other business in accordance with standing order 21;

(c) close the debate on any motion at the hour appointed in accordance with standing order 21, whether or not there are other members who still desire to speak, and thereupon the provisions of standing order 54(2) shall apply.

AMENDMENTS

42. When permitted

Except as provided in standing order 43, any member may move an amendment to a motion which has been duly moved and such amendment shall be disposed of before that motion is put or any further amendment is moved.

43. When not permitted

Amendments to the following shall not be permitted —

(a) a procedural motion under standing order 49;

(b) a motion to receive the report of a committee under standing order 91;

44. Amendments to amendments

No amendment may be moved to an amendment, except by permission of the chairman.

45. Delivery in writing

Before an amendment is moved, a copy of it in writing shall be delivered to the secretary, unless this requirement is dispensed with by the chairman.

46. Form of amendments

An amendment may be made —

by leaving out words;

(b) by leaving out words and inserting other words; or

47. Content

An amendment must be relevant and must not have the effect of negativing the main motion or amendment.

48. Order of consideration

(1) Amendments shall be moved and put to the vote in the order in which they first affect the main motion or amendment to which they relate, and if more than one amendment has been received affecting the same place in that motion or amendment, they shall be moved and put to the vote in the order determined by the chairman.

(2) By permission of the chairman, other amendments may be discussed but not moved during the debate on an amendment.

PROCEDURAL MOTIONS

49. Content

Subject to these standing orders, the following procedural motions may, with the permission of the chairman, be moved with or without notice but not so as to interrupt the speech of any member —

(a) "That the synod do pass to the next business" ("next business");

(b) "That the synod do now adjourn" ("adjournment of the synod");

(d) "That the debate be now closed" ("closure");

(e) "That all further speeches on this question be limited to . . . minutes" ("speech limit");

(f) a motion to vary the order of business;

(g) a motion to suspend a standing order.

50. When not permitted

A motion shall not be moved —

(a) for next business, the closure or a speech limit on any question referred by the General Synod;

(b) for next business on an amendment or another procedural motion.

51. Next business

The following rules of debate apply to a motion for next business:

(a) The motion may be moved either in the form "That the synod do forthwith pass to the next business" or in the form "That the synod do forthwith pass to the next business before the question is put".

(b) The motion shall take precedence over all amendments of which notice has been given.

(c) If the motion is carried, the original motion shall lapse either forthwith or before the question is put, as the case may be, and not be reconsidered during the same meeting of the synod.

(d) If negatived, the motion shall not be moved again on the original motion unless that motion is substantially amended.

(e) During discussion on a motion "That the synod do forthwith pass to the next business before the question is put" it shall be in order to debate the merits of the original question.

52. Adjournment of the synod

The following rules of debate apply to a motion for adjournment of the synod:

(a) The motion may but need not specify a time for the next sitting of the synod or the resumption of the business interrupted.

(b) The mover shall be allowed to speak for not more than 3 minutes; the mover of the original motion, if any, or if not, some other member may speak for not more than 3 minutes; the question shall then be put without further debate.

(c) If the motion is carried and the synod has not by the same resolution appointed a time for its next sitting, the sitting shall be held at the time appointed in accordance with standing order 13.

(d) Subject to any resolution of the synod, the business interrupted shall be resumed at the next meeting.

(e) If negatived the adjournment of the synod shall not be moved again, except with the permission of the chairman, until a further hour has elapsed.

53. Adjournment of debate

Standing order 52, so far as applicable, applies to a motion for adjournment of debate except that —

(a) if the motion is carried and the synod has not by the same resolution appointed a time for resuming the interrupted debate, it shall be resumed only by direction of the standing committee;

(b) if the question adjourned is an amendment, the debate on the main motion shall also stand adjourned.

54. Closure

The following rules of debate apply to a motion for the closure:

(a) If the motion is permitted by the chairman, it shall be put forthwith without discussion.

(b) if the closure is carried, the member, if any, who has the right of reply on a motion superseded by the closure shall be given an opportunity to speak for not more than 5 minutes in reply, and the motion or amendment shall be put without further debate.

55. Speech limit

(1) If the motion is permitted by the chairman, it shall be put forthwith without discussion.

(2) Notwithstanding the time-limits imposed by standing order 35, on a motion for speech limit being carried, no speech shall exceed the number of minutes specified in the motion, but the chairman may, for any special reason (of which he shall be the sole judge), allow a longer or shorter time to any member.

(3) When so doing the chairman shall inform members of his ruling, and in exercising his discretion shall have particular regard to any member who has a right of reply to the debate.

56. Suspension of standing orders

After notice or, by permission of the chairman, without notice a member may move that a standing order be suspended during a particular debate or meeting. The motion shall not be deemed to have been carried unless at least three-fourths of the members present and voting are in favour.

VOTING

57. Assent of three houses

(1) Subject to standing orders 58 and 59, nothing shall be deemed to have the assent of the synod unless the three houses which constitute the synod have assented thereto.

(2) If in the case of a particular question (except a matter referred to the synod by the General Synod under Article 8 of the Constitution of that Synod) the president (if present) so directs, that question shall be deemed to have the assent of the house of bishops only if the majority of the members who assent to it includes the president.

58. Procedure for decisions

Questions relating only to the conduct of business shall be decided by the votes of all the members of the synod present and voting, and every other question shall be decided in like manner, the assent of the three houses being presumed, unless the president (if present) requires, or any 10 members require, that a separate vote of each house be taken.

59. Matters referred under Article 8

If the votes of the houses of clergy and laity are in favour of a matter referred to the synod by the General Synod under Article 8 of the Constitution of that Synod, that matter shall be deemed to have been approved for the purposes of the said Article.

60. Voting by houses

A separate vote of each house shall be taken —

(a) on any question referred by the General Synod to the synod;

(b) on any other question (except a question relating only to the conduct of business) where that is required under standing order 58.