Part of Orders of the Day — Indian Independence Bill – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 July 1947.
Mr Hartley Shawcross
, St Helens
12:00,
14 July 1947
There is that right of action in the six cases. I do not think the hon. Member will want me to enumerate them, although I am in a position to do so. That right will in future lie against the High Commissioner, according to whether it relates to the High Commissioner of Pakistan, or the High Commissioner of India. This Bill transfers the right from the Secretary of State, and creates a new liability on the part of the High Commissioners. If there is no High Commissioner the answer will then be that no action can be brought. That is one of the attributes of the sovereign powers of a Dominion, or of a foreign country for that matter. If they choose to break contracts and to withdraw representation, there would be no remedy against them in this country.
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.
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.
