Training module: generating official lists at Consideration Stage

A module which explains how the ‘as introduced’ version of the bill is prepared in Lawmaker and published on the API. You have to complete ‘Preparing the bill for introduction’ before you can complete ‘Publishing the bill’ exercise.

Introduction

Generating the Notice of Amendments

Generating the Notice of Withdrawals

Generating the Marshalled List

Exercises

Before you start

Before you complete this exercise you will need—

1. A published bill (download the XML file here )

2. Some Consideration stage amendments (download the amendments XML file here )

The following steps will allow you to create the data required for this exercise.

1. Create a new project selecting Northern Ireland Bill and Executive Bill and providing the title [Your Initials] Preparing and publishing official lists Bill

2. Close the Editor after it loads using the Close Editor button.

3. From the Project tab, select Document Actions > Upload document—

   1. Specify a folder As Introduced

   2. Specify a version description As Introduced

   3. Select the downloaded As_Introduced.xml file

   4. Click on Upload button

4. Find the newly uploaded document version and select Actions > Update Document Information—

   1. Update the Title to [Your Initials] Preparing and publishing official lists Bill

   2. Click on Update button

5. Still with the newly uploaded document version, select Actions > Generate PDF and click Generate button

6. Once the PDF has generated, toggle the snapshot view to see the PDF Snapshot created and select Actions > Publish Version

7. From the Amendment Workspace tab click on the Upload button—

   1. Select As Introduced bill version

   2. Select Consideration Stage for the stage

   3. Name the list CS amendments

   4. Select the Consideration_stage_amendments.xml file you downloaded

8. Click on the Upload button

9. Open the amendment list in the Editor

10. Open on the Amendment Status right-hand panel

11. Click on the Bulk update statuses button—

    1. Leave all amendments selected for the amendments to update

    2. Select Draft to Submitted as the Status transition

    3. Click on Update button

12. Save your changes and close the list of amendments using the Close Editor button.

You now have a published bill and some submitted amendments ready to create the official lists at Consideration Stage.

Generate the first Notice of Amendments

1. From the Amendment Manager, select the amendments that should appear on the first Notice of Amendments and table them. Normally, you would only need to filter the list by ‘Submitted’ but for this exercise we will need to table the submitted amendments in batches—

   1. Select all the Minister for Communities' amendments APART FROM THE CLAUSE 2 STAND PART AMENDMENT

   2. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Table Amendments

   3. Select all Mr Gary Middleton’s amendments and table these using the same steps

2. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list

3. On the create amendment list dialog box, select—

   1. Amendment list = Notice of Amendments

   2. Bill version = As Introduced

   3. Stage = Consideration Stage

   4. List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoA

   5. Leave cut-off date

   6. Click on the Create button 

4. When the list loads in the Editor, check that the amendments are sorted and grouped correctly.

5. Make any adjustments if required then save and close the list using the Close Editor button

6. On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Amendments you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button

The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website

Publishing the amendment list

Instructions

Assuming the list has completed all checks and the PDF that was generated reflects the final version then it is now ready for publishing—

1. Click on the black triangle to the left of the list name to expand the view of snapshots

2. On the grey PDF snapshot version, select Actions > Publish version

3. The published version will appear on the right-hand side of the Official Lists tab and a snapshot is created under the working version.

You can now upload the final version of the pdf onto the website

Generate another Notice of Amendments

1. Return to the Amendment Manager, and select the amendments that should appear on the next Notice of Amendments and table them—

   1. Select all of Ms Paula Bradshaw’s amendments

   2. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Table Amendments

2. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list

3. On the create amendment list dialog box, select—

   1. Amendment list = Notice of Amendments

   2. Bill version = As Introduced

   3. Stage = Consideration Stage

   4. List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoA 2

   5. Leave cut-off date

   6. Click on the Create button 

4. When the list loads in the Editor, check that the amendments are sorted correctly.

5. There are 2 amendments to amendments and these always need updating to ensure they will be correctly sorted in the Marshalled List. They are also sorted incorrectly in the Notice of Amendments as the amendment to subsection (4) appears before the amendment to subsection (2) purely because of the order they were created. To update them—

   1. Place your cursor in the first amendment

   2. Open the Amendment Information right hand panel

   3. They are both amendments to an amendment inserting a new clause after section 4 so update the location table as follows—

      1. Place cursor in Location field and type - after (for “After” clause 4)

      2. Place cursor in Provision field and type - sec_4 (i.e. the abbreviation for section 4)

   4. To correct their sort order (so that the amendment to subsection (2) appears after the amendment to subsection (4) you will need to update the sort code—

      1. Place cursor in Sort Code and type - 3

   5. Wait for the spinner before saving your changes

   6. Place your cursor in the second amendment and repeat those same updates apart from adding 2 to the Sort Code so that it appears before the other amendment.

   7. Wait for the spinner before saving your changes

   8. Click into each amendment and double check the location table has been successfully updated for both.

6. From the upper tool bar select Tools > Update List

7. Check that the amendments have been correctly sorted then save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button

8. On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Amendments you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button

1. Back on the Amendment Manager, select the target amendment for the 2 x amendments to amendments (the Minister for Communities' amendment inserting new clause after clause 4)

2. Click on the eye-ball to view it

3. Click on the Edit amendment button in the bottom left corner

4. Place your cursor in the amendment and add 1 to the Sort Code so that it appears first before the amendments to amendments

5. Wait for the spinner before saving your changes and closing the list using the Close Editor button

The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website

When ready, publish this second list using the same instructions from Training module: generating official lists at Consideration Stage | ✏️ Publish Notice of Amendments on Lawmaker

Generate a Notice of Withdrawals

In this scenario, the Minister for Communities wishes to withdraw their amendment to Clause 5, Page 4, Line 16 and their amendment to Clause 2, Page 1, Line 14—

1. Find these 2 amendments on the Amendment Manager tab and select them

2. Select Amendment Actions > Create temporary list

3. In the temporary list that loads in the Editor, update the status of these amendment—

   1. Place your cursor in the first amendment

   2. Open the Amendment Status right-hand panel

   3. Click on the Withdrawn button

   4. Place your cursor in the second amendment

   5. Click on the Withdrawn button again

4. Save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button

1. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list

2. On the create amendment list dialog box, select—

   1. Amendment list = Notice of Withdrawals

   2. Bill version = As Introduced

   3. Stage = Consideration Stage

   4. List name = enter a unique name for your Notice of Amendments e.g. NoW

   5. Leave cut-off date

   6. Click on the Create button 

3. When the list loads in the Editor, update the list—

   1. In the first italic note—

      1. add the Minister for Communities

      2. add the correct date in the date placeholder

      3. change has to have as there are 2 amendments and in this scenario we will only display the one italic note

   2. Delete the italic note above the second amendment—

      1. Place your cursor anywhere in the note

      2. Select Note from the breadcrumb and delete the element

   3. Save your changes and close the list using the Close Editor button

4. On the Official Lists tab, find the Notice of Withdrawals you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button

The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website

When ready, publish this second list using the same instructions from Training module: generating official lists at Consideration Stage | ✏️ Publish Notice of Amendments on Lawmaker

Generate the Marshalled List

In this scenario, we will pretend that the Minister for Communities has permission to table a last minute amendment to appear on the Marshalled List—

1. From the Amendment Manager, select Clause 2 stand part amendment submitted by the Minister for Communities'

2. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Table Amendments

1. From the top right on the Amendment Manager screen, select Amendment Actions > Create official list

   2. On the create amendment list dialog box, select—

      1. Amendment list = Marshalled List

      2. Bill version = As Introduced

      3. Stage = Consideration Stage

      4. List name = enter a unique name for your Marshalled List e.g. ML

      5. Update the cut-off date to be the deadline date that appears in the preface of the Marshalled List

      6. Leave cut-off time

      7. Update list date with the date of the debate

      8. Click on the Create button 

   3. When the list loads in the Editor—

      1. Update the order of consideration in the preface with Clauses

      2. Add an asterisk to the newly tabled amendment by—

         1. Placing your cursor in the amendment

         2. Right-clicking and selecting Update star status

         3. Select Asterisk button

         4. Click on the Update button

      3. Check that the amendments are sorted correctly. There were 2 amendments to the same place (Clause 5, Page 4, Line 23), if you need to update their sort location, you should first update the Sort Code in the Amendment Information right hand panel before manually swapping their locations in the list (using the Structure View) and updating the assigned amendment numbers.

   4. Make any other adjustments if required then save and close the list using the Close Editor button

   5. On the Official Lists tab, find the Marshalled List you just created and select Actions > Generate PDF and click on the Generate button

2. The list is now ready for official checks before publishing on the website

When ready, publish this list using the same instructions from Training module: generating official lists at Consideration Stage | ✏️ Publish Notice of Amendments on Lawmaker

When you have completed this module, move onto Training module: generating a Grouping List