Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am ar 25 Gorffennaf 1922.
Mr George Balfour
, Hampstead
I beg to move, "That the Clause he read a Second time."
In Committee upstairs an Amendment was inserted to Clause 5, Sub-section (4), which put in the words "other body," and I think it then put the present Bill out of harmony with the Act. This is a matter of drafting, and I think my hon. Friend (Mr. Neal) will accept it.
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.
