– in a Public Bill Committee at on 5 September 2012.
James Gray
Conservative, North Wiltshire
It may be helpful to the Committee, in welcoming you all, if I lay out how we can proceed today with all due efficacy, as a number of us have discussed. No amendments have been tabled, so rather than having seven separate stand part debates for each Clause, it may be sensible to have one quasi-Second Reading debate on clause 1 stand part, and to then take the balance of the stand part debates more or less as read. We can take them formally later on, if that is agreeable to the Committee.
With that in mind, we will begin with clause 1 stand part. I will be content to take comments about clauses 2 to 7 under the guise of clause 1.
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
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.
