§ Mr. CohenTo ask the President of the Council if she intends to make it the general practice of Government to publish the notes on clauses which accompany public bills; and if she will make a statement. [25489]
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorNotes on clauses are already produced by departments for most Bills. In future, as the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House reported recently (Second Report 1997–98 HC 389), it is intended that notes on clauses will be combined with the existing explanatory memoranda and published as a single document with each Bill. It is hoped that draft Bills published this session and Bills introduced next session will be accompanied by the new style explanatory notes. This is in line with the suggestion the Government and First Parliamentary Counsel put to the Modernisation254W Committee and which was endorsed in their recent report on the proposed explanatory notes on Bills (Second Report 1997–98 HC 389).