Part of Health and Social Care Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:45 pm on 17 January 2008.
Sandra Gidley
Shadow Minister, Health
2:45,
17 January 2008
I want to direct my comments to new Clause 15. During the oral evidence sessions, we heard concerns that the commission was able to look at failings by English local authorities. That is in clause 46. There are provisions to look at failings by Welsh NHS bodies. However, it is not clear to me, and it was obviously not clear to the Healthcare Commission, why there is no similar provision to ensure that NHS bodies in England are so covered. I may have missed something somewhere, but the insertion of new clause 15 would make it crystal clear that, whether the problem was with NHS England or Wales, or with local authorities, it would always be dealt with in the same way. I seek the Minister’s reassurance on that point.
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.
