Orders of the Day — Local Government (Development and Finance) (Scotland Bill – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 26 June 1964.
Mr Alexander Hendry
, Aberdeenshire West
I beg to move, in page 1, line 13, after "given" to insert:
(a).
It might be convenient for the House if, at the same time, we consider the following Amendment, in line 14.
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
If that is convenient to the House.
Mr Alexander Hendry
, Aberdeenshire West
I am obliged, Mr. Speaker.
During our consideration of the Bill in Committee a number of Amendments were made, and a number of the powers conferred upon local authorities by what is now Clause 1 were extended to district councils. The Bill empowers the Secretary of State for Scotland to give general consents to certain types of work in anticipation. It would be appropriate if the Secretary of State were given powers to vary these general consents for different types of local authority, and the two Amendments have that purpose.
In line 16, leave out subsection (3) and insert:
(3) For the purpose of enabling him to determine whether he shall give the consent mentioned in the last foregoing subsection, the Secretary of State may direct such advertisement by the local authority as appears to him to be desirable.—[Mr. Hendry.]
Mr Alexander Hendry
, Aberdeenshire West
I beg to move, in page 2, line 1. to leave out subsection (4).
The subsection which it is proposed to leave out gave local authorities various powers for the management of property. In Committee, a new Clause was added to the Bill which gave local authorities rather wider powers of management, and that has rendered the subsection redundant.
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.
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.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
