Part of Enterprise Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:30 pm on 23 April 2002.
Alistair Carmichael
Shadow Spokesperson (Energy and Climate Change), Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Energy and Climate Change)
6:30,
23 April 2002
I am not minded to support the Amendment. The entitlement to put a prior inconsistent statement to a witness in the course of evidence-taking is important. That has particular implications in Scottish criminal procedure in as much as it can be adopted in certain circumstances; in any event, it can be used to strike at the witness's credibility. The deletion of the subsections would remove that and I can see no good reason to do so.
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.
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.
