Determining subjects for debate on Estimates Days

What are Estimates?

One of Parliament’s longest-standing functions is the consideration and authorisation of government’s spending plans, requiring the government to obtain parliamentary consent before spending public money. These are presented to Parliament in documents known as “Estimates”. There is a separate Estimate for each government department.

Estimates typically take place twice per financial year:

• May to June: Main Estimates (initial departmental spending plans)
• February to March: Supplementary Estimates (revised final departmental spending plans)

What are Estimates days?

The usual process for considering and approving Estimates is based around ‘Estimates Day(s)’, where parliamentary time is given to debate, consider and approve government spending plans. Before Estimates can be approved, Estimates Day debates take place on the floor of the House of Commons.

Standing Order No 54 provides three Estimates Days in each session and Standing Order No 55 sets out how Estimates are debated and agreed.

Select committees that shadow government departments often produce reports that examine government spending, and these are sometimes debated on Estimates Days.

Who determines the subject of debate?

Until February 2026, the Liaison Committee formally recommended which government departments’ Estimates were allocated for debate in the House of Commons on Estimates Days (under Standing Order No 145). The Liaison Committee is a committee of the chairs of select committees.

Select committees that had written reports examining the spending of a government department could make representations to the Liaison Committee, which would then decide which Estimates to allocate for debate and report its decision to the House for agreement.

Backbench Business Committee pilot

In January 2018, the Procedure Committee outlined arrangements to allow the Backbench Business Committee to choose the topics of Estimates Day debates, based on proposals from backbench MPs, rather than select committees; the House would still need to approve the Backbench Business Committee’s decision. In return the Liaison Committee would be able to propose to the Backbench Business Committee that specific select committee reports should be debated. This would allow select committee reports to be debated on substantive motions (PDF).1 These recommendations were initially implemented on a ‘pilot’ basis.

In July 2025, the chairs of the Liaison Committee and the Backbench Business Committee wrote to the chair of the Procedure Committee. They concluded that the pilot had been successful. It had ensured Estimates Day debates more closely related to departmental spending and had encouraged participation in debates. They recommended that the Backbench Business Committee should be given responsibility for deciding which subjects were debated on Estimates Day, instead of the Liaison Committee, and that standing orders should be amended accordingly. They wanted further consideration of the arrangements to allow the Liaison Committee to recommend debates on the floor of the House. They asked the Procedure Committee to make recommendations on these matters.2

Backbench Business Committee responsibility made permanent

On 12 December 2025, the chair of the Procedure Committee, Cat Smith, wrote to the Leader of the House of Commons, endorsing these proposals and included a draft motion to amend the standing orders.3 Cat Smith noted that the Liaison and Backbench Business Committees would discuss related allocation of time matters “in due course”.

The Procedure Committee recommended that the Backbench Business Committee should take responsibility for determining which matters were debated on Estimates Days, instead of the Liaison Committee. They also recommended that the Estimates Days should not count towards the 35 days already allotted to the Backbench Business Committee for backbench business.

Sir Alan Campbell, the Leader of the House, replied on 13 January 2026. He confirmed he would table a motion to make the proposed changes to standing orders.4

The motion was first published on 28 January 2026.5 It was agreed on 2 February 2026.6

Additional resources

The Library research briefing for the 2025/26 Estimates round provides more detailed information on the process of publishing government spending plans and Parliament’s role in considering the Estimates, see Main Estimates: Government spending plans for 2025/26.

Footnotes

• 1 Procedure Committee, Debates on Estimates: piloting new arrangements (PDF), 22 January 2018, HC 739 2017-19, paras 3-7
• 2 Procedure Committee, Joint letter from the Chair of the Liaison Committee, Dame Meg Hillier MP and Chair of the Backbench Business Committee Bob Blackman MP relating to Estimates Day debate allocations pilot programme, dated 22 July 2025 (PDF), 3 September 2025
• 3 Procedure Committee, Letter from the Chair to the Leader of the House of Commons relating to changes to the process for allocating estimates day debates, dated 12 December 2025 (PDF), 17 December 2025
• 4 Procedure Committee, Correspondence from the Leader to Procedure Committee regarding Estimates Days Debates, dated 13 January 2026 (PDF), 21 January 2026
• 5 House of Commons, Order Paper, 28 January 2026, see Future Business B: Remaining Orders and Notices, Item 36
• 6 HC Deb 2 February 2026 cc89-90