How does a bill become a statute, or, an act of parliament in the UK?

There are ten key stages in the passing of a bill through parliament to create a statute.The first of these is a 'green paper.' This is a proposition for the act of parliament, and it contains the intent to change or create a new law. This is the first document that is drafted, therefore it often receives constructive criticism and amendments. In stage two, an amended 'white paper' will be issued, which forms a 'firm proposal' for the bill. The third stage then moves over to either the House of Lords, or the House of Commons. The bill will eventually have to go through all ten stages in both of these institutions in order to become a law, but it can begin in either one. In whichever respective House, the third stage is the 'First Reading' which is where the bill arrives and can be read and considered. The fourth stage, known as the 'Second Reading' is the main debate on the relevance, purpose and prominent areas of the bill. The fourth stage is a more in-depth line-by-line scrutiny, known as the Committee Stage. This is where the biggest amendments are often made to the bill. During this stage a public vote may take place on the bill, at this stage it can be voided. The fifth stage is the report stage where a further examination of the bill takes place, this is similar to the Committee Stage as votes can be held here too. The sixth stage known as the 'Third Reading,' is a formal clearing-up of the bill, a last chance to ensure all amendments have been made. A last vote can be made yet again here.The stages must then be completed in the opposing house. If the bill has been through the House of Commons, this will be the House of Lords and vice versa. The opposing house must follow the same stages and consider the amendments made. Often the two houses will send the bill back and forth with any issues, this is known legally as 'ping-ponging.'The penultimate stage, if the bill makes it this far, is tradition that the Queen must sign the bill, this is known as gaining 'Royal Assent.' The queen does not have to read the bill, it is merely a formality that she must sign it, and without Royal Assent it cannot become an act.The final stage is that the bill is published. It is important to remember that the above stages are enduring processes, where the bill is subject to a lot of scrutiny, so for a bill to make it to stage ten can take a year on average! It is a long process, for example, the Same Sex Marriage Act of 2014 was 'ping-ponging' back and forth from the Houses for years!