CROWN PROCEEDINGS BILL [Lords] – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 July 1947.
Mr Moss Turner-Samuels
, Gloucester
12:00,
11 July 1947
I beg to move, in page 21, line 44, to leave out:
Save as aforesaid expressly provided.
I should also like at the same time to refer to the two following Amendments: In page 21, line 46, after "instituted" to insert:
and have not been determined by judgment or otherwise
and in page 21, line 47, to leave out:
for the purposes of this section.
The purpose of the Amendment is to bring in pending proceedings. Under the Clause they are excluded. The short point which I wish to make is, that the Clause as it stands enables the Crown, in regard to pending proceedings, to raise the very defences which the Bill removes on future actions. That seems to me to be wholly inconsistent and indefensible. Again I ask the learned Attorney-General to look at this, and to see whether something cannot be done about it on Report.
Mr Hartley Shawcross
, St Helens
I am afraid we are unable to accept this series of Amendments. If my hon. and learned Friend looks at this again he will see that they would not achieve the purpose which he appears to have in mind, and would, indeed, make the application of the Bill a matter of extreme difficulty.
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.
