– in a Public Bill Committee at on 3 February 2015.
Sandra Osborne
Labour, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
9:25,
3 February 2015
Good morning, everyone. Before we begin, I have a few preliminary announcements. Could electronic devices be switched to silent or switched off? Tea and coffee are not allowed during sittings of the Committee. The notice period for amendments is three working days. Starred amendments—those tabled with inadequate notice—will not normally be called.
The Committee will now consider the programme motion on the Amendment paper. We will then consider a motion to report written evidence, followed by a motion to permit the Committee to deliberate in private. Assuming that the last of those motions is agreed to, the Committee will move into private session. Once the Committee has deliberated, the witnesses and members of the public will be invited back into the room and our oral evidence session will begin.
Ordered,
That—
(1) the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 9.25 am on Tuesday 3 February) meet—
(a) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 5 February;
(b) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 10 February;
(c) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 12 February;
(2) the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following Table:
Witness
Tuesday 3 February
Until no later than 11.00 am
HM Revenue and Customs
HM Treasury
Northern Ireland Office
(3) proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 and 2; Schedule 1; Clause 3; Schedule 2; Clauses 4 to 6; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(4) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 5.00 pm on Thursday 12 February. —(Gavin Barwell.)
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.
