Road Safety Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 5:45 pm on 1 February 2005.
Mr David Jamieson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport
5:45,
1 February 2005
I beg to move Amendment No. 34, in schedule 5, page 102, line 9, leave out 'vehicle' and insert 'premises'.
This amendment corrects a typographical error.
Amendment agreed to.
Amendment made: No. 63, in schedule 5, page 104, line 23, after 'section', insert
'consisting otherwise than in permitting an act or omission'.—[Mr. Jamieson]
Sitting suspended for a Division in the House.
On resuming—
Amendments made:
No. 64, in schedule 5, page 104, line 27, leave out from 'both' to end of line 30 and insert—
'(5) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (3) of this section consisting in permitting an act or omission is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.'.
No. 65, in schedule 5, page 104, line 48, leave out from 'exceeding' to end of line 1 on page 105 and insert
'level 5 on the standard scale.'.
—[Mr. Jamieson]
Question proposed, That this schedule, as amended, be the fifth schedule to the Bill.
Greg Knight
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6:30,
1 February 2005
May I ask whether there is any restriction on what a driver does in his own time after driving? If a driver gets to the maximum permitted hours after which he is supposed to take a rest period and drives, but not in connection with his work, so it is not recorded by a tachograph, does he commit an offence?
Mr David Jamieson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport
As I understand it, he does not. We would expect a driver who had been driving the requisite number of miles to take a break by having a meal, or a nap. We would not want to prevent someone from taking a short journey home in their car because it would not be part of their working time, as covered by the directive. It would, however, be a matter of concern if someone was driving three or four hours after they had done their professional driving.
Question put and agreed to.
Schedule 5, as amended, agreed to.
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.
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The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
