Clause 4. — (Office of Deputy Clerk Register to cease.)

Part of Orders of the Day — Reorganisation of Offices (Scotland) Bill. – in the House of Commons am ar 9 Gorffennaf 1928.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr Alexander MacRobert Mr Alexander MacRobert , Renfrewshire Eastern

This Amendment cannot be accepted. The Government propose to appoint a Keeper of the Registers and Records instead of a Deputy Clerk Register. The Deputy Clerk Register has not been in existence for several years, and what is proposed is to appoint an officer who will take his place, and who will be over the three principal departments, namely, the Records, the Sasines and the Deeds. These departments are all closely related and ought to be co-ordinated, and the proper person to do that is the Keeper of the Register and Records. This proposal is approved, I think, by the legal authorities in Scotland, and, what is more important, it also has the approval of the people of Scotland.

Clause

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.

Amendment

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.