Part of Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:00 pm on 28 February 2006.
Gregory Barker
Shadow Spokesperson (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6:00,
28 February 2006
It was not me who suggested that the Minister had been over-egging. I quoted the official spokesman of the Office of the Deputy prime minister, who said that it was
“More a survey than a review”,
that it was not urgent at all and that it was qualitative research, after which the Minister would decide what to do. He said:
“Malcolm Wicks was rather over-egging the case.”
Those are not my words; they are the words of the official spokesman of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
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 office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. Unlike analogous offices in other nations, the Deputy Prime Minister does not have any of the powers of the Prime Minister in the latter's absence and there is no presumption that the Deputy Prime Minister will succeed the Prime Minister.
The post has existed intermittently and there have been a number of disputed occasions as to whether or not the title has actually been conferred.
More from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom
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.
