This Library Note describes the wash-up process; reviews the proceedings on wash-up in 2010; and provides details of bills that received Royal Assent in each of the last six wash-up periods.
Wash-up 2010 (1 MB , PDF)
The wash-up period at the end of a Parliament allows a Government to get onto the statute book essential or non-controversial legislation that would not otherwise complete its passage through Parliament because of dissolution.
In 2010, wash-up proved more contentious than on recent previous occasions and prompted calls for the procedure to be reviewed or for additional checks and balances to protect against limited parliamentary scrutiny.
This paper has been jointly authored by staff in the House of Lords and House of Commons Libraries. The same paper has been published as both a House of Lords Library Note (LLN 2011/007) and a House of Commons Library Research Paper (RP 11/18).
Wash-up 2010 (1 MB , PDF)
The motion “that this bill do now pass” is moved immediately after a bill’s final stage in the House of Lords (known as third reading). It is amendable and so provides an opportunity for the House to oppose, delay or record a view on a measure if there is enough support. This briefing provides examples of amendments to the motion and what the outcome was each time.
In January 2025 the House of Lords Constitution Committee published a report on the responsibility of the government (the executive) to oversee the constitution. It concluded that the UK’s constitutional arrangements would benefit from several improved safeguards, such as the appointment of a senior minister to advise on constitutional matters and for advisory bodies to be put on a statutory footing.
The government has committed to reducing and reclaiming public money lost to fraud and error. The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill contains provisions to extend Cabinet Office and Public Sector Fraud Authority powers to tackle fraud and error outside the tax and benefits system, and also expands powers to tackle fraud within the benefits system. The bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 15 May 2025.
