Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 15 June 1933.
Mr Arthur Caporn
, Nottingham West
If the proposals in the Amendment are desirable in order that justice should be done to parties, why should not provision be made in the Act rather than by some administrative action, which may be here to-day and gone to-morrow? I should very much like to know the explanation as to why these provisions should not be put into the Act.
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.
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.
