Part of Orders of the Day — Part Ii – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 13 May 1947.
Mr Hartley Shawcross
, St Helens
12:00,
13 May 1947
It is perfectly true that as the Clause is drafted it is within the discretion of the Minister to hold a public inquiry. There is nothing novel in that. In the 1944 Act the holding of a public inquiry is not obligatory. Even under Section 1 of that Act the Minister is not obliged to afford objectors an opportunity of being heard, still less to hold a public inquiry at which they may make their representations. He is under no obligation, if he is satisfied that he is already sufficiently informed.
None the less, while we cannot accept this Amendment, I can indicate that it is the intention of the Minister that the initial plan, or any amendment of any substance at all, shall always be the subject of a full dress local public inquiry. The Minister has adopted that practice hitherto, for instance in the Plymouth case in which the Court of Appeal upheld his attitude, and he intends to follow it. But, it is of importance, if the position of the Minister as a Minister, rather than as a quasi-judicial officer, is to be preserved, that the Minister's discretion in regard to this matter should be maintained. If he does not hold an inquiry in a particular case where it is appropriate that one should be held, the political sanction is the sanction which ought to be imposed on him, and that sanction is often much more useful than a purely legal one in this type of case. I hope the House will feel content with that sanction, which it has in its own hands. Incidentally, there is a reference in the Amendment to the position of an arbitrator and the question of compensation. That appears inappropriate because the development plan, unlike the scheme under the Act of 1932, does not give rise to compensation.
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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.
