Part of Finance Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 7:00 pm on 5 June 2007.
Mark Francois
Shadow Paymaster General
7:00,
5 June 2007
As the Minister rightly admitted, there has been some confusion about this matter with regard to the rubric. I hope that we have performed some small service in tabling the Amendment by getting that explanation on the record. I am grateful to the Minister for that commitment, and I hope that it helps to clarify the point. Before I go to the Foreign Office, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
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.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
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.
