Orders of the Day — Local Government (Scotland) Bill. – in the House of Commons at on 6 March 1929.
Sir Robert Hamilton
, Orkney and Shetland
I beg to move, in page 58, to leave out from the word "that," in line 25, to the word "to," in line 26, and to insert instead thereof the words:
the Secretary of State shall not make such a reduction until he has made and caused.
Mr John Gilmour
, Glasgow Pollok
We accept this Amendment.
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.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
