§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since April 1992 Ministers from her Department have(a) requested Parliamentary Counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct Parliamentary Counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.
§ Mr. SackvilleParliamentary Counsel does not draft on behalf of private Members but on the instructions of Departments acting on the authority of Ministers. With the authority of Ministers, amendments were drafted by Parliamentary Counsel on instructions from Departments and subsequently passed to private Members in respect of the Osteopaths Bill, the Medicines Information Bill and the Chiropractors Bill.