The new Clause One of the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill, proposed by Mr Ken Maginnis and accepted by the British government last Thursday, reads:
(1) The body of constables known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary shall continue in being as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary).
(2) The body of constables referred to in (1) above shall be styled for operational purposes the "Police Service of Northern Ireland".
The intended British government amendment, withdrawn on Tuesday night, would have extended this to include "the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve" and to define "operational purposes" as including "all working, public, legal, ceremonial, administrative, presentational, and recruitment purposes."
The SDLP's alternative new Clause One proposed:
(1) The body of constables known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary shall continue in being as the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which incorporates the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
(2) The body of constables referred to in subsection (1) above shall be known for all purposes as the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
(3) The body of constables known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve shall continue in being as the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve, which incorporates the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve.
(4) The body of constables referred to in subsection (3) shall be known for all purposes as the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve.