Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 13 December 1973.
Ian Paisley
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
12:00,
13 December 1973
It is the responsibility of the hon. Member to go to the person responsible. I put these facts to the former Secretary of State. I went to Stormont Castle and put them to the Secretary of State face to face.
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.
