United Kingdom
Structure
Data on parliamentary sessions, parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups.
Sessions
Number of ordinary sessions of parliament per year
Dates of parliamentary sessions
| Parliament is usually in ordinary session | Extraordinary sessions can be held | |
|---|---|---|
| January | x | x |
| February | x | x |
| March | x | x |
| April | x | x |
| May | x | x |
| June | x | x |
| July | x | x |
| August | x | |
| September | x | x |
| October | x | x |
| November | x | x |
| December | x | x |
Number of days parliament met in plenary, per year
152 (2020)
See historical data for this field.
Committees
Number of permanent committees
This number does not include sub-committees or joint committees in bicameral parliaments.
Parliamentary groups
Parliamentary groups are recognized in the parliamentary rules
“Parliamentary groups” are the primary means by which political parties organize themselves in parliament. They may also be known as “party groups”, “caucuses” or “fractions”. They are different from all-party groups on specific issues, or inter-parliamentary friendship groups.
Number of parliamentary groups
12 (2021)
See historical data for this field.
Not applicable. There is no minimum number of members to form a parliamentary group
Yes
Independent members can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Several parties can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Relevant provisions about parliamentary groups in the parliamentary rules of procedure
There are no provisions. ‘Party Groups’ in the sense recognised in many other Parliaments are not recognised, but of course MPs operate through their parties; the above answers refer in practice to individual parties.