Criminal Justice Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 9:15 am ar 9 Ionawr 2003.
Eric Illsley
Llafur, Barnsley Central
With this we may discuss Government amendments Nos. 41 to 43.
Hilary Benn
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) (Minister for Prisons and Probation)
Before I discuss the amendments, I want to echo your concern, Mr. Illsley, about the circumstances described by my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen). I am sure that the Committee's best wishes go to the officer and his family.
Amendments Nos. 40 and 41 are simple drafting amendments, which are designed to make the provision amended by Clause 14(1) easier to understand.
Amendment No. 42 provides that the High Court is to have no power—I think that the Committee accepted at the end of our previous deliberations that the change proposed in the clause was generally welcome—to entertain bail applications in cases where the Crown court makes a bail decision under the new powers in clauses 75 and 76, which relate to the retrial
of serious offences. That situation would not be covered by the abolition of the High Court's bail jurisdiction under clause 14(3), which necessarily refers only to existing powers.
Amendment No. 43 is a drafting amendment, which is primarily designed to take account of the reference to the revocation of bail in clauses 75 and 76.
Amendment agreed to.
Amendments made: No. 41, in
clause 14, page 10, line 4, after 'and' insert '(b)'.
No. 42, in
clause 14, page 10, line 19, at end insert—
'(4A) The High Court is to have no power to entertain an application in relation to bail where the Crown Court—
(a) has granted or withheld bail, or
(b) has varied the conditions of bail,
under section 75 or 76 of this Act.'
No. 43, in
clause 14, page 10, line 29, at end insert—
'(7) Any reference in this section to the withholding of bail is to be read as including a reference to the revocation of bail.'—[Hilary Benn.]
Clause 14, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.
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.
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.
