Part of Orders of the Day — Financial Services and Markets Bill – in the House of Commons at 7:30 pm on 1 February 2000.
Mr. Deputy Speaker:
With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Government new Clause 36—Designation of professional bodies.
Government new clause 37—Exemption from the general prohibition.
Government new clause 38—Directions in relation to the general prohibition.
Government new clause 39—Orders in relation to the general prohibition.
Government new clause 42—Rules in relation to persons to whom the general prohibition does not apply.
Government Amendment No. 455.
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
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.
