Inquiries Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee at 10:30 am on 24 March 2005.
Chris Leslie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Constitutional Affairs)
10:30,
24 March 2005
I beg to move Amendment No. 41, in Clause 54, page 26, line 9, leave out subsection (2).
This is a technical amendment, which removes the Lords privilege amendment that was inserted on Third reading in the other place. The Committee will be aware that the House of Lords cannot consider matters of money or charges on public funds, so the subsection was therefore inserted in the other place. Following Second Reading in the Commons, we passed the money resolution, so we can now remove that provision.
Chris Leslie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Constitutional Affairs)
I thank you, Mr. Gale, and your co-Chairman, Mr. Griffiths, for your safe and efficient stewardship of the Bill through Committee. We have scrutinised its clauses rigorously, and have given it good and effective consideration.
I thank the Clerks and those who ensured safe and good order in the Room. I also thank my officials for helpfully providing me with inspiration when required. Finally, I thank my hon. Friends for their support. It has been a great pleasure, and this is another Bill Committee under our belts.
Jonathan Djanogly
Shadow Minister (Home Affairs)
At the conclusion of what has been a brief but interesting and important Committee, I thank you, Mr. Gale, for your expert and fair chairmanship and your good humour. The same is true of your co-Chairman, Mr. Griffiths.
I thank Committee members for working well together to a tight timetable. We finish with no outstanding issues, but we certainly wasted no time identifying them. Finally, I thank the support staff—the Clerks, the Doorkeepers and police—for allowing it to happen.
Mr Paul Tyler
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
I endorse everything that has been said by the Minister and the hon. Member for Huntingdon, and say the same on behalf of my party. As I said, I hope that this will be my swansong. At least I can leave with the happy memory of a well ordered Committee under your chairmanship, Mr. Gale, and that of Mr. Griffiths. I thank you for that.
Roger Gale
Conservative, North Thanet
I thank hon. Members for their fine comments. I am sure that Mr. Griffiths’s attention will be drawn to them. This may prove to be the last Standing Committee on which hon. Members sit under his chairmanship.
I express my own appreciation for the work of the Officers of the House, without whom our proceedings would be well-nigh impossible. I am not at liberty to comment on what might happen in April or May. That is a matter for conjecture. However, I think that it is in order for me to wish all hon. Members a happy Easter and a safe return on 4 April.
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 Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
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.
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.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
