High Hedges (No. 2) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:00 pm on 7 May 2003.
Steve Pound
Labour, Ealing North
As we have gone through the Bill, I have identified several areas where the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales has powers to make regulations. The Clause sets out the parliamentary procedures that they must follow when exercising those powers.
Two types of regulations can be made under the Bill. The ones we have come across so far are about detailed procedural matters, such as dealing with appeals. As I indicated previously, those will be subject to the negative resolution procedure. I have been assured by the Minister that the Government will consult on them beforehand.
The second set of regulations, which will be made under clauses 18 to 20, will allow the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales to amend certain provisions of the Bill. Any proposal to allow primary legislation to be amended through regulations is always a sensitive matter. The Bill therefore requires that regulations made under those clauses must be debated in both Houses of Parliament, under the affirmative resolution procedure.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 15 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clauses 16 to 23 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Question proposed, That the Chairman do report the Bill to the House.
Peter Atkinson
Conservative, Hexham
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his expeditious dealings.
Steve Pound
Labour, Ealing North
Thank you, Mr. Atkinson, for conducting the orchestra so well.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill to be reported, without Amendment.
Committee rose at nine minutes past Three 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.
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.
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.
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.
