Part of Criminal Justice Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 4:15 pm ar 4 Chwefror 2003.
Graham Allen
Llafur, Nottingham North
4:15,
4 Chwefror 2003
The Minister should be able to deal with the amendments quickly by reassuring us that fully qualified probation officers will be compiling these essential and complex reports. It is an important issue, not least for probation service officers. They need reassurance that their professional skills are not being undermined and undervalued by the growing use of less qualified and less experienced junior staff. I am sure that a few words from the Minister will totally put them at their ease.
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.
