Part of Orders of the Day — Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill – in the House of Commons am 5:30 pm ar 20 Mehefin 1991.
Dr Brian Mawhinney
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
5:30,
20 Mehefin 1991
I apologise if the hon. Gentleman thought that I was misrepresenting him; I was not doing so deliberately. I think that the hon. Gentleman and I would agree that it would be fairly unlikely for the Secretary of State to appoint someone with a major criminal conviction, given the power in the legislation to have such a person removed were it to happen once he had been appointed.
I think that I have addressed the questions that were asked of me. I hope that, in the light of what I have said, the House will not accept Amendment (a) but will accept Lords amendments Nos. 12 and 31.
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.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
