Part of Offender Management Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 12:15 pm on 23 January 2007.
Mark Williams
Shadow Minister (Wales)
12:15,
23 January 2007
In the absence of my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle, I was tempted to withdraw the Amendment. However, on the basis of the kind remarks by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough, I shall reaffirm briefly what we said earlier: inspiring public confidence in the system will be a huge job. It manifestly does not enjoy a great deal of public confidence now. On that basis, we see no logical reason why an annual report should not be presented to Parliament.
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.
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.
