Part of Ways and Means. – in the House of Commons at on 1 October 1941.
Sir Noel Goldie
, Warrington
There is one point that puzzles me. The Amendment says that the; poll is to be taken of all solicitors holding practising certificates. I understand that if a solicitor holds an official appointment he does not hold a practising certificate. Will he be excluded from the poll? I am thinking of solicitors who hold such positions as district registrars and county court registrars, and it seems to me as if under this Amendment they could hardly be described as practising solicitors. In the interests of the profession, however, they are gentlemen who ought to be consulted.
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.
