Part of Orders of the Day — Housing (Scotland) Bill. – in the House of Commons am ar 2 Gorffennaf 1935.
Mr Albert Russell
, Kirkcaldy District of Burghs
I regret that the Lord Advocate or some representative of the Government has not seen fit to make even a formal acknowledgment of the point raised by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for West Fife (Mr. Milne). It is perhaps ill becoming a lawyer to tell the Government of a method of avoiding litigation but none the less my hon. and learned Friend has had the courage to do so. Obviously there are no phrases which lend themselves more to ambiguity than phrases like "a member of the family." May we have some assurance that the Government will look into this matter and if they think it ought to be cleared up, take the necessary steps in Another place to do so?
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.
During a debate members of the House of Commons traditionally refer to the House of Lords as 'another place' or 'the other place'.
Peers return the gesture when they speak of the Commons in the same way.
This arcane form of address is something the Labour Government has been reviewing as part of its programme to modernise the Houses of Parliament.
