1. A parliamentary bill is composed of distinct sections referred to as clauses.1‘Clauses – Erskine May – UK Parliament’, accessed 18 January 2023
2. Clauses may be divided into subsections ‘(1)’, ‘(2)’ etc, each of which usually consists of a single sentence.2‘Clauses – Erskine May – UK Parliament’, accessed 18 January 2023
3. A subsection (or a clause not divided into subsections) may contain two or more paragraphs ‘(a)’, ‘(b)’ etc, each of which consists of part of a sentence, and a paragraph may in turn contain two or more sub-paragraphs ‘(i)’, ‘(ii)’ etc.3‘Clauses – Erskine May – UK Parliament’, accessed 18 January 2023
4. Accompanying each clause is a succinct marginal note, providing information about the clause’s intended impact.
5. During the committee stage of the bill’s progress, legislators thoroughly review the clauses and may propose additional clauses or modifications to existing ones.
6. Once a bill is passed and becomes an Act of Parliament, the clauses are referred to as sections. They are described as such in the bill.
Notes [ + ]