Section 70

The Chairman in Committee of the whole Assembly on a Bill shall call the number of each clause in succession. If no amendment is proposed thereto, or when all proposed amendments have been disposed of, he shall propose the question “That the clause (or the clause as amended) stand part of the Bill” and, when all Members who wish to speak thereon have spoken he shall put that question to the Committee for its decision.

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this Standing Order if during the consideration of a Bill in a Committee of the whole Assembly, the Chairman is of opinion that the principle of a clause and any matters arising thereon have been adequately discussed in the course of debate on the amendments proposed thereto, he may, after the last amendment has been disposed of, state

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that he is of this opinion and shall then forthwith put the question that the clause

(or, the clause as amended) stand part of the Bill.

Amendments of which notice has been given under the provisions of paragraph

of this Standing Order shall be arranged by the Clerk so far as may be in the order in which they will be proposed.

No amendment shall be moved which is inconsistent with any clause already agreed upon or any decision already come to by the Committee, and the

Chairman may, at any time during the discussion of a proposed amendment, withdraw it from the consideration of the Committee if in his opinion the discussion has shown that the amendment contravenes the provisions of this paragraph.

The provisions of Standing Order No. 38 (Manner of debating motions) and

Standing Order No. 39 (Manner of debating amendments to motions) shall apply to the discussion of amendments to Bills, with the substitution where appropriate of the word “clause” for the word “motion” or the word “question” and of the word

“Chairman” for the word “Speaker” throughout; and any amendment proposed to such an amendment shall be dealt with before a decision is taken on the original amendment.

A clause may be postponed, unless a decision has already been taken upon an amendment thereto. A postponed clause shall, in the absence of an order to the

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contrary, be considered after the remaining clauses of the Bill have been considered and before new clauses are brought up.

Any proposed new clause shall be considered after the clauses of the Bill have been disposed of and, in the absence of an order to the contrary, before consideration of any schedule to the Bill:

Provided that a new clause proposed in substitution for the clause which has been disagreed to may be considered immediately after such disagreement.

On a new clause being offered, the Chairman shall desire the Member offering the same to bring it up, whereupon the Clerk shall read aloud the title to the new clause which shall then be deemed to have been read a first time.

The question shall then be proposed “That the clause be read a second time”; If this is agree to, amendments may then be proposed to the new clause. The final question to be proposed shall be “That the clause (as amended) be added to the Bill”.

Schedules shall be disposed of in the same way as clauses and any proposed new schedule shall be considered after the schedules to the Bill have been disposed of, and shall be treated in the same manner as a new clause.

After all clauses and schedules have been gone through any Member may, with the leave of the Chairman move an amendment to a clause or schedule already passed, provided that the amendment is made necessary by any other amendment already made to the Bill.

When every clause and schedule and proposed new clause or new schedule has been dealt with, the preamble, if there is one, shall be considered and the question put “That this preamble (as amended) be the preamble to the Bill”. No amendment to the preamble shall be considered which is inconsistent with the provisions of the Bill as passed by the Committee.

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if any amendment to the long title of the Bill is made necessary by the provisions of the Bill as passed by the Committee, it shall be made at the conclusion of the proceedings detailed above, but no question shall be put that the long title (as amended) stand part of the Bill; nor shall any question be put upon the enacting formula.

At the conclusion of the proceedings in Committee, the Chairman shall say, “Bill to be reported”.