Education and Skills Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:30 pm on 28 February 2008.
Jim Knight
Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families, Minister of State (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (Schools and Learners)
I beg to move Amendment No. 207, in Clause 115, page 64, line 29, leave out ‘in connection with the Secretary of State’s functions’.
Mr. Bayley, listening to you read the numbers of the preceding series of clauses made me think that if you need another job, bingo calling might be the one for you.
Clause 115 carries forward provisions already in place in existing legislation. It enables the sharing of information between relevant authorities to prevent an unsuitable person from working with children by participating in the management of an independent educational institution. Relevant authorities are the chief inspector, the Secretary of State, Welsh Ministers, the Independent Barring Board and the General Teaching Councils for both England and Wales. This will assist relevant authorities to discharge effectively their statutory functions to protect children and vulnerable adults from those who might cause them harm.
The amendment allows the Secretary of State to share with the authority responsible for making the direction under clause 113 any information which may be relevant to consideration of a direction to prohibit a person from participating in the management of an independent educational institution. It will bring consistency between England and Wales and allow the Secretary of State to share any information that may be relevant.
Hugh Bayley
NATO Parliamentary Assembly UK Delegation
I did not want to interrupt the Minister in full flow, but as an accomplished and experienced part-time bingo caller, I should remind him that numbers above 100 do not appear on the bingo card.
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.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
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.
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.
