Part of Orders of the Day — Finance Bill – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 10 Mehefin 1947.
Mr. McKie:
. I am surprised that the Financial Secretary should be surprised about our desire for a little more information about this Clause. He described it as an innocent Clause, but as the Debate has proceeded it has been amply illustrated that it is not so simple as it at first appears. The right hon. Gentleman was pressed very hard to tell us what this Clause seeks to do. I join with my hon. Friends in wishing to see every encouragement given to the processing of citric and oxalic acids and penicillin, and the cleaning of pictures. The right hon. Gentleman said that the Government wanted to make the fullest use of this Clause, that it was drafted with that idea. Without wishing to take the gilt off the ginger bread, or pour cold water on what he said, I suggest that if he had really wanted to put this Clause to the widest possible use he would not have included the words,
other than the production of food or drink for human consumption.
The housewives of this country will read his words tomorrow, or perhaps hear them over the wireless this evening. This is just the kind of Clause that may well get two or three minutes' time when "In Parliament today" is broadcast tonight.
It is very desirable that housewives should be informed about what the right hon. Gentleman has said in seeking to exclude them directly from participation in any benefits which will flow to other sections of the community, particularly those in the realm of medicine, by the inclusion of this Clause in the Bill. We know perfectly well that there is one use to which sugar might be put, but for the inclusion of these words:
other than the production of food or drink for human consumption,
and that is for the preservation of fruit. The right hon. Gentleman knows how the housewives of this country have suffered, and will continue to suffer, by not having proper supplies of sugar for the preservation of fruit, and particularly the wild fruits of this country. A golden opportunity is missed by the inclusion of these words which directly exclude from benefit those who are producing food or drink for human consumption. If there is to he a Division against adding this Clause to the Bill, I hope that the hon. Member for Buckrose (Mr. Wadsworth), who spoke on a previous Clause, will go into the Lobby with me in order to protest against not making available a wider and more free use of sugar than is envisaged in this Clause for not only the housewives but the consuming public.
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.
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