Orders of the Day – in the House of Commons at 7:15 pm on 15 October 2007.
Votes in this debate
Division number 209
Orders of the Day — Schedule 1 — The Legal Services Board
Question accordingly negatived.
Amendment made: No. 102, in page 120, line 11, at end insert—
'( ) Before appointing an ordinary member, the Lord Chancellor must consult the Lord Chief Justice.'.— [Mr. Wills.]
Amendment proposed: No. 75, in page 120, line 17, leave out 'first'.— [Mr. Kevan Jones.]
Question put, That the amendment be made:—
The House divided: Ayes 304, Noes 129.
Division number 210
Orders of the Day — Schedule 1 — The Legal Services Board
Question accordingly agreed to.
Amendments made: No. 104, in page 120, line 18, leave out 'any subsequent' and insert 'the'.
No. 105, in page 121, line 7, after 'conveyancer;' insert—
'( ) granted a certificate issued by the Institute of Legal Executives authorising the person to practise as a legal executive;
( ) a registered patent attorney, within the meaning given by section 275(1) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48);
( ) a registered trade mark attorney, within the meaning of the Trade Marks Act 1994 (c. 26);'.
No. 106, in page 122, line 19, leave out from 'member' to end of line 20 and insert
'under sub-paragraph (1)(b), the Lord Chancellor must consult—
(a) the Lord Chief Justice, and
(b) if the ordinary member is not the chairman, the chairman.'.— [Bridget Prentice.]
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.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
