Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 10:15 am ar 25 Ebrill 2018.
Steve Reed
Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) (Civil Society)
10:15,
25 Ebrill 2018
I beg to move Amendment 83, in Clause 20, page 9, line 35, leave out subsections (3) and (4) and insert—
“(3) The other provisions of this Act come into force on such day as the Secretary of State may appoint by regulations.
(4) Regulations under this section may appoint different days for different purposes or areas.”
This amendment gives the Secretary of State the power to commence the Bill by regulations.
James Gray
Ceidwadwyr, North Wiltshire
With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:
Clause stand part.
New clause 4—Transitional provision—
“The Secretary of State may by regulations make transitional, transitory or saving provision in connection with the coming into force of any provision of this Act.”
This new clause gives a power to the Secretary of State to make transitional provision in relation to the implementation of the Bill.
Steve Reed
Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) (Civil Society)
Clause 20 sets out when the Bill’s provisions are to be brought into force and Amendment 83 allows the requirements of the Bill to be brought into force as and when it is feasible to do so and by regulations, rather than within six months as originally drafted.
New clause 4 gives the Secretary of State the power to make transitional provisions for the implementation of the Bill, which, where appropriate, will allow flexibility in its application as it comes into force. I know that the Minister is committed to the Bill; we have strengthened it by working consensually cross-party and with the many interested parties outside the House.
Jackie Doyle-Price
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
I reassure the Committee that I want to ensure that the requirements of the Bill are commenced as soon as they are ready. We are certainly not in the business of delay, but we recognise that some aspects of the Bill will be quicker to implement than others. We will be able to commence some things very quickly, but if we take clauses 7 and 8, for example, getting the right systems in place for local recording and publication of statistics may take a little longer than some other aspects of the Bill. Commencing by regulations allows the Government to bring the new requirements into force as and when that is feasible, having regard to those parts of the system that move at a different pace.
The transitional provision will allow the Secretary of State to make transitional provisions in connection with the coming-into-force provisions of the Bill. That is important particularly where the Bill’s requirements represent a substantial change in practice. For example, if training under Clause 5 is carried out before the responsible person is appointed, the transitional provision could state that the training is deemed to have been provided by the responsible person. That will also allow us to give the NHS and other providers some time to prepare for their duties under the Bill. The Government accept the Amendment to clause 20 and the new transitional provision.
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.
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.
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.
