Orders of the Day — Housing (Scotland) Bill. – in the House of Commons am ar 2 Gorffennaf 1935.
Mr Archibald Skelton
, Combined Scottish Universities
I beg to move, in page 58, line 20, at the end, to insert: "and the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts, 1926 and 1931:
'Apparatus' means sewers, drains, culverts, watercourses, mains, pipes, valves, tubes, cables, wires, transformers, and other apparatus laid down or used for or in connection with the carrying, conveying, or supplying to any premises of a supply of water, water for hydraulic power, gas or electricity, and standards and brackets carrying street lamps.
These are Amendments of the definition Clause. The first one is to make the Housing (Scotland) Acts, 1919 to 1933, include the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts, which have not hitherto been included in the definition. The purpose of including the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts in this definition is because the Department has power to withhold Exchequer contributions where the local authority fails to discharge any duty or fails to exercise any power which ought to be exercised under these Acts. The matter was discussed fully in Committee and my right hon. Friend then gave an assurance that the Department's powers in relation to these particular Acts would be reinforced, as is now being done.
The Amendment that follows deals with the definition of "apparatus." It is used in Clause 80, a new Clause which was added in Committee, and makes provision in regard to the apparatus of statutory undertakers in land dealt with by local authorities under the Housing (Scotland) Acts. It was not possible to add the definition in Committee after the definition Clause had been passed.
Further Amendment made: In page 59, line 5, at the end, insert:
'Public undertakers' means any corporation, company, body, or person carrying on a railway, canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour, tramway, gas, electricity, water, or other public undertaking";
'Superior' includes the creditor in a ground annual."—[The Lord Advocate.]
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.
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.
The clause by clause consideration of a parliamentary bill takes place at its committee stage.
In the Commons this usually takes place in a standing committee, outside the Chamber, but occasionally a bill will be considered in a committee of the Whole House in the main chamber.
This means the bill is discussed in detail on the floor of the House by all MPs.
Any bill can be committed to a Committee of the Whole House but the procedure is normally reserved for finance bills and other important, controversial legislation.
The Chairman of Ways and Means presides over these Committees and the mace is placed on a bracket underneath the Table.