State Pension Credit Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee at 7:00 pm on 23 April 2002.
Ian McCartney
Minister for pensions, Department for Work and Pensions
7:00,
23 April 2002
I beg to move Amendment No. 8, in page 14, line 23, leave out subsection (7).
This amendment removes the privilege amendment that was made in Another place. As hon. Members will be aware, the financial powers in the other place are restricted by the rights and privileges of the House of Commons and by the terms of the Parliament Acts. As the Bill originated in another place and contains financial provisions, a privilege amendment was added to it before its introduction in this House to ensure that the financial privilege of this House was not infringed,
The privilege amendment provided that nothing in the Bill should impose or vary any charge on the people or public funds. This amendment is technical; it is necessary to remove the privilege amendment. The financial provisions are thereby reinstated.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 22, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned.—[Angela Smith.]
Adjourned accordingly at eight minutes past Seven o'clock till Thursday 25 April at half-past Nine o'clock.
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.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
During a debate members of the House of Commons traditionally refer to the House of Lords as 'another place' or 'the other place'.
Peers return the gesture when they speak of the Commons in the same way.
This arcane form of address is something the Labour Government has been reviewing as part of its programme to modernise the Houses of Parliament.
The House of Lords. When used in the House of Lords, this phrase refers to the House of Commons.
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.
