Part of Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:00 pm on 17 April 2007.
Susan Kramer
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, Trade & Industry, Shadow Secretary of State, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Trade and Industry)
6:00,
17 April 2007
I appreciate the Minister giving way. Let me read again the measure—Clause 12(3)—that I am referring to. It says:
“Where a complaint to which this subsection applies is referred to the Council by or on behalf of the designated consumer, the Council may investigate the complaint for the purpose of determining whether it is appropriate to take any action”.
In other words, we are even using the word “may” about whether or not the complaint should be sent off to another body, or retained within the NCC. The clause does not say that the council must carry the process out to the far end. There is not even an obligation on the council to decide whether the matter is one with which it should deal or one that should go somewhere else. The case that the Minister is making relates to the step afterwards—after the “shall” has taken place, so I question whether he really intends that “may” should stand, at least within the meaning ofthe Bill.
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.
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.
