Major Capital Contracts (Skills Training Requirements) – in the House of Commons at 9:02 pm on 2 March 2010.
'(1) The Secretary of State may by order make whatever provision he or she considers expedient-
(a) for and in connection with the referendum under section 29;
(b) for and in connection with the combination of the poll at the referendum with the poll at an election or at another referendum (or both).
(2) An order under this section may, in particular, apply or incorporate, with or without modification, any enactment or subordinate legislation (whenever passed or made) relating to referendums or elections.
In this subsection "subordinate legislation" has the same meaning as in the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30).
(3) An order under this section-
(a) may include provision creating criminal offences;
(b) may make supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitory, transitional or saving provision;
(c) may make different provision for different purposes (including different areas).
(4) The power to make an order under this section is exercisable by statutory instrument.
(5) The Secretary of State must consult the Electoral Commission before making an order under this section.
(6) An order under this section may not be made unless a draft of the statutory instrument containing the order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.'.
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.
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.
