Orders of the Day — Legitimacy Bill. – in the House of Commons at on 27 June 1924.
Mr George Bowyer
, Buckingham
I beg to move, in page 3, line 20, to leave out from the word "same" to the end of the Clause and to insert instead thereof the words
rights, and shall be under the same obligations in respect of the maintenance and support of himself or of any other person as if he had been born legitimate, and subject to the provisions of this Act, the provisions of any Act relating to claims for damages, compensation, benefit, or otherwise by or in respect of a legitimate child shall apply in like manner in the case of a legitimated person.
Whereas the Bill as it now stands gives the legitimated person certain rights to maintenance and support, if the Clause in amended as I propose, it will make those rights reciprocal, not only giving the legitimated person the right of obtaining
maintenance, but casting upon him the obligation and the duty of giving maintenance and support.
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.
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.
