Orders of the Day — Ministry of Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill – in the House of Commons at on 8 December 1920.
Mr John Lorden
, St Pancras North
I beg to move at the end of the Clause to insert the words "Provided that the contribution shall in no case exceed a farthing rate in total."
There should be some limit in regard to these contributions which may be made by the local authority.
Mr Dennis Herbert
, Watford
I beg to second the Amendment.
Dr Christopher Addison
, Shoreditch
I cannot accept this Amendment. It would mean that the farthing rate would become the minimum rate just as is the case with the library rate. As a matter of fact I do not expect the rate to be more than one-twentieth of a penny in most cases.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
