Part of Proceeds of Crime Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 4:45 pm ar 27 Tachwedd 2001.
Mark Field
Ceidwadwyr, Cities of London and Westminster
4:45,
27 Tachwedd 2001
Does the Minister not agree that we have already examined investments, which would clearly be caught? Likewise, the Bill contains a provision on interest. What does the Minister envisage would be caught by subsection (11)? No doubt, when examining investment, there would be a freeze on various guilty defendants' accounts on which a confiscation order was made. I appreciate the time that would be taken between the freezing of an account and a final judgment and reconsideration of benefit. We may say that interest has accrued over a matter of months or years on a defined account, and there may have been a range of investments that, dare I say—
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.