Part of European Parliament (Representation) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 10:15 am on 14 January 2003.
David Heath
Shadow Spokesperson (Trade and Industry), Shadow Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
10:15,
14 January 2003
The process for registration of political parties laid out in the Bill indicates that all political parties that aspire to registration and to taking part in the process should be consulted. However, it is reasonable to assume that the weight attached to the views of the House of Assembly is likely to be greater than that attached to the views of a party that has not succeeded in attracting electoral support.
I was not aware that there were two Liberal parties in Gibraltar. However, I have observed that in many European countries there are two Liberal parties, of which one is always in government. That seems to be an excellent state of affairs, along with there being no Conservative party, which also has its attractions. However, I will not pursue that matter further.
A basic principle of consultation is that it should take place with those who represent the people at whom the legislation is targeted. At present, only two individuals bear the responsibility for providing that input. The first of those is the Governor, who, for reasons that we have already discussed, may not be an appropriate person to consult. The other is the Chief Minister, whose views are certainly of importance. However, his views would be of even greater value if there were a requirement to consult with those who may not hold identical political views to his.
That is the purport of Amendment No. 7, and I believe that the Government would be well advised to accept one or both of the amendments.
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
