Grocery Market Ombudsman Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 5:00 pm on 30 March 2010.
Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.
I want to ask the hon. Member for Ynys Môn about Northern Ireland. I have two points: one is that I neglected to say what a pleasure it was to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. O’Hara. It has been a great pleasure over the years and I wish you a healthy, happy and long-lived retirement. I have enjoyed working with you on a number of shared interests, such as Marbles Reunited, the restitution of the Elgin Marbles, for example. I wish you well in your retirement.
On the substantive point, although I am interested in the inclusion of Northern Ireland and the extension of the Act to all corners of the United Kingdom, as a Cornishman, who strongly differentiates between Cornwall and England, I would like to insert the word “Cornwall”.
I am sure the hon. Gentleman can try it. Mr. O’Hara, I join in thanking you for your work today and over many years.
I want to bring to the attention of the Committee the fact that the Bill covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which mirrors the locations of many of the retailers. [Interruption.] And Cornwall, but I am sure that it comes under the law of England and Wales. As a Welshman, I, too, would like to have more separate laws and jurisdiction.
It is important to put on the record that retailers in the four home nations come under the Bill, and I believe that to be fair. We need to have a level playing field for all the constituent nations of the United Kingdom.
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.
Laws are the rules by which a country is governed. Britain has a long history of law making and the laws of this country can be divided into three types:- 1) Statute Laws are the laws that have been made by Parliament. 2) Case Law is law that has been established from cases tried in the courts - the laws arise from test cases. The result of the test case creates a precedent on which future cases are judged. 3) Common Law is a part of English Law, which has not come from Parliament. It consists of rules of law which have developed from customs or judgements made in courts over hundreds of years. For example until 1861 Parliament had never passed a law saying that murder was an offence. From the earliest times courts had judged that murder was a crime so there was no need to make a law.
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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.
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