Oral Answers to Questions — India – in the House of Commons at on 9 December 1929.
Mr David Pole
, Derbyshire Southern
asked the Secretary of State for India if he will give the House particulars in respect of the chief recommendations made by the Repressive Laws Committee set up by the Government of India in 1921 under the chairmanship of the Law member of the Government; and what action has been taken by the Government of India on each of these recommendations?
Captain William Benn
, Aberdeen North
All the nine enactments or portions thereof, the immediate repeal of which the Committee recommended, have been repealed except the State Prisoners Acts of 1850 and 1858. One other enactment and a portion of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908, which the Committee thought could not then be repealed remain on the Statute Book; and the amendment of Bengal Regulation III of 1818 and the corresponding Madras and Bombay Regulations of 1819 and 1827 which the Committee recommended has not yet been undertaken. The retention of these Regulations has necessitated the retention of the Acts of 1850 and 1858 just referred to.
Mr David Pole
, Derbyshire Southern
Do we understand that these things are under consideration at the present time?
Captain William Benn
, Aberdeen North
That is not in the question. Perhaps my hon. and gallant Friend will put it down.
Laws are the rules by which a country is governed. Britain has a long history of law making and the laws of this country can be divided into three types:- 1) Statute Laws are the laws that have been made by Parliament. 2) Case Law is law that has been established from cases tried in the courts - the laws arise from test cases. The result of the test case creates a precedent on which future cases are judged. 3) Common Law is a part of English Law, which has not come from Parliament. It consists of rules of law which have developed from customs or judgements made in courts over hundreds of years. For example until 1861 Parliament had never passed a law saying that murder was an offence. From the earliest times courts had judged that murder was a crime so there was no need to make a law.
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.
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.
