Part of Health and Social Care Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:45 pm on 24 January 2008.
Anne Milton
Shadow Minister (Health)
2:45,
24 January 2008
We rehearsed the Welsh issue earlier in our proceedings and I will be happy to withdraw this probing Amendment. As a Surrey MP, I am not as familiar with the problems of cross-border and devolved issues as many hon. Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury. I do, however, think that we need absolute clarity about who is responsible for what and whom. We have had a heated exchange at times, but I hope that the Minister will take on board the comments that have been made by my Welsh colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire. Sometimes the lack of clarity in legislation and from Government—and the lack of clarity from Ministers and Welsh Ministers—leaves Members of Parliament and, more importantly, their constituents, in an awful vacuum between the two.
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.
