Education and Skills Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 4:15 pm ar 21 Chwefror 2008.
Nick Gibb
Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
I beg to move Amendment No. 90, in Clause 50, page 27, line 10, leave out ‘persons working in either of those ways’ and insert
‘service as a member of the armed forces of the Crown’.
Clause 50 deals with Crown employment and how Crown employees are treated in relation to the duties in the Bill. Amendment No. 90 is a probing amendment, designed to ascertain why there are regulations that institute exceptions and special rules for civil servants that do not apply to 16 and 17-year-olds in other employment. I understand why we need special arrangements for those serving in the armed forces. The amendment has therefore been drafted to keep the regulation-making powers in place as far as service as a member of the armed forces is concerned, but to take out reference to Crown employment. A simple explanation from the Minister would be helpful.
Jim Knight
Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families, Minister of State (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (Schools and Learners)
We need the power to modify the provisions of chapter 1 in relation to Crown employment. As the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton said, those in Crown employment are essentially civil servants, and there are various people who have been hugely helpful to us in our deliberations who would count, and we must look after that valuable body of employees. There is some doubt as to whether, as a matter of law, Crown employees such as civil servants in this valuable central Government work, are under a contract of employment and therefore included in references to working in this way. We do, of course, want this kind of work to count for the purposes of the duty to participate. The Clause makes that clear, and it removes the legal doubt about the status of Crown employees. However, the definition of normal weekly working hours in clause 5 needs to be modified in relation to Crown employees, as they do not have a contract of employment. Regulations under subsection (2) will enable us to do so, and it is appropriate that this kind of technical detail is dealt with in secondary legislation. I therefore urge the hon. Gentleman to withdraw his Amendment accordingly.
Nick Gibb
Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
4:30,
21 Chwefror 2008
I was intrigued by the Minister’s praise of civil servants—I wonder who drafted that particular speaking note?
Jim Knight
Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families, Minister of State (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (Schools and Learners)
I would want it to be placed on record that those words were not drafted by anybody else: they came spontaneously to my mind.
Nick Gibb
Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
I am delighted to hear it. I was interested in what the Minister had to say. He will correct me if I interpreted him incorrectly, but it appears that the purpose of the Clause so far as Crown employment is concerned is to ensure that Crown employees are included in the duty, as opposed to finding a way of exempting them from the duty.
Jim Knight indicated assent.
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.
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.
