Part of Children and Adoption Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee at 9:15 am on 16 March 2006.
Margaret Moran
Labour, Luton South
9:15,
16 March 2006
I was going to be brief because the Minister wants to respond.
I want to clarify two points. First, the paramountcy principle does not run throughout the Bill. Secondly, the hon. Member for Basingstoke referred to the potential danger to the child of giving evidence at that point. That issue was dealt with in previous legislation when we introduced protection for vulnerable witnesses. The principle that children are able to give evidence and to give voice to their concerns has also been accepted in the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
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.
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.
