Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 12:30 am on 6 May 1980.
Mr Nigel Spearing
, Newham South
12:30,
6 May 1980
I beg to move Amendment No. 22, in page 2, line 26, after 'London', insert 'Authority'.
As this is the last amendment, perhaps I shall have better luck with it.
The short title says:
This Act may be cited as the Port of London (Financial Assistance) Act 1980.
For reasons that I have made abundantly clear both on Second Reading and in Committee, I believe that that is misleading, and that it should read "Port of London Authority (Financial Assistance) Act".
I do not think that I need give further reasons. I believe that that would more accurately describe the Bill's contents. It would, perhaps, draw attention to the fact that the port of London is not the Port of London Authority, and that would be better for all concerned.
Kenneth Clarke
Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Transport)
I acknowledge the validity of the hon. Gentleman's point. I appreciate that the port of London is not the same as the Port of London Authority. The hon. Gentleman has done a service to point out that there is a great deal of traffic within the port of London that is not handled by the authority. But that should not affect the title of the Bill. There is a very good technical reason why it would be wrong, and a misdescription of the Bill, to insert the word "Authority", as the hon. Gentleman suggests.
The limitation of the title to the PLA would mean that it did not cover Clause 1(3), which is about the reimbursement by the Secretary of State for Employment to the National Dock Labour Board. It is important that we give proper legitimacy to the payments that have been made to the board to reimburse it for severance payments to registered dock workers in the port of London. If the title were restricted, as the Amendment proposes, it would imply that the authority was the only public body able to receive financial assistance under the Bill. The board must be considered, and for that reason the broader title has been chosen.
I hope that the hon. Gentleman will accept that the title is technically correct. It does not mean that we have ignored his reminder that there are activities going on within the port of London other than those conducted by the authority. It would be inaccurate too to make the amendment, which would misdescribe an important provision of the Bill.
Mr Nigel Spearing
, Newham South
I am grateful to the Minister for that technical explanation, which I understand and accept. He referred to Clause 1(3). I may not have heard the amounts related to payments to the National Dock Labour Board, which is not then in respect of employees of the PLA, or those whom it inherited. I have no doubt that there are a few, and therefore I think that the Minister is technically correct, although once again, for reasons of a quirk of history, people will no doubt equate one with the other, because most of the moneys go via the accounts of the PLA, and most of the rest of the Bill applies to it.
But, because of what the Minister has said, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
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.
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.
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.
