– in a Public Bill Committee at on 9 September 2014.
Adrian Sanders
Liberal Democrat, Torbay
8:55,
9 September 2014
Order. Before we begin I have a few preliminary announcements. Members may if they wish remove their jackets during sittings; I think I shall say that now, to apply for the duration of the Committee’s sittings, so I will not need to say it again. I ask hon. Members and others in the Room to ensure that all electronic devices are turned off or switched to silent, and I remind hon. Members that tea and coffee are not permitted in Committee.
Before we begin our line-by-line consideration of the Bill, some brief explanation may be useful to those who are relatively new to public Bill Committees. The selection list for today’s sitting is available in the Room. It shows how the amendments selected for debate have been grouped together. Amendments grouped together are generally on the same or similar issues.
A Member who has put their name to the leading Amendment in a group is called first. Other Members, including the Minister, are then free to catch my eye to speak on any or all of the amendments in the group. A Member may speak more than once in a debate. At the end of a debate on a group of amendments, I shall call the Member who moved the lead amendment to speak again. Before sitting down, they will need to indicate whether they want to withdraw the amendment or seek a decision. Any Member who wants to seek a vote on another amendment in a group needs to let me know.
Please will Members note that decisions on amendments do not happen in the order in which the amendments are debated, but in the order in which they appear on the amendment paper. I will use my discretion to decide whether to allow a separate stand part debate on individual clauses following debates on the relevant amendments. This morning, the Committee will adjourn at 11.25 am. That is automatic; but this afternoon the timing is in the hands of the Whips, although an Adjournment at about 5 pm is conventional. I hope that those explanations are helpful.
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.
