– in a Public Bill Committee at on 1 February 2005.
Mr David Jamieson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport
9:25,
1 February 2005
On a point of order, Mr. Hughes. During one of our fascinating debates last week, I offered on Tuesday, in response to a request from the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight), to provide copies of the police national drink drive proforma, the MGDD forms. For his information, that is the manual of guidance drink driving—it seems so obvious one when knows—as published on the Home Office website. I am pleased to tell the Committee that copies are now on the Table and have also been placed in the Libraries.
The MGDD forms have been produced jointly by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers for England and Wales and represent one of the many sections of the manual of guidance prepared for use by prosecution teams to promote best possible practice and to minimise or eliminate the risk of non-compliance with the law. They are working documents that are constantly evolving and being updated in the light of case law. Because they represent best practice, adherence to them is not essential for compliance with legislation, a flexibility that prosecution services must preserve.
Finally, as I said in the debate, if roadside evidential testing becomes law, a fresh process will be needed, drawing, where appropriate, on experience of station hospital procedure. I am grateful to you, Mr. Hughes, for allowing me to raise the matter.
Mr Kevin Hughes
Labour, Doncaster North
I am sure that the Committee is grateful for that information.
Greg Knight
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Hughes.
Mr Kevin Hughes
Labour, Doncaster North
It was not merely a point of order, so I do not think that I can take anything further to it.
Greg Knight
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I just wanted to say that I am obliged to the Minister for that information.
Mr Kevin Hughes
Labour, Doncaster North
The hon. Gentleman has said it now.
David Wilshire
Assistant Chief Whip, Whips
On a point of order, Mr. Hughes. I am not following up on that point of order, but can you confirm that if we cannot discuss the matter as a point of order, there will be an opportunity to discuss it in the debate?
Mr Kevin Hughes
Labour, Doncaster North
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman has been here long enough to be able to find an ingenious way of doing that.
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.
