Oral Answers to Questions — Naval and Military Pensions and Grants. – in the House of Commons at on 11 July 1922.
Mr Donald Maclean
, Peebles and Southern
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the draft Resolutions in regard to the reform of the Second Chamber are to be published?
Mr Winston Churchill
, Dundee
An announcement will be made this afternoon in Another place, and it is hoped that the text of the Resolutions will be available as a Parliamentary Paper at 6 o'clock this evening, or, possibly, shortly after that time.
Mr Donald Maclean
, Peebles and Southern
Can the right hon. Gentleman inform the House whether these draft Resolutions are to be debated and decided upon in Another place before the House rises?
Mr Winston Churchill
, Dundee
I understand it is the intention that they shall be debated next week in Another place. Whether they will be decided upon is another matter. The subject is very extensive, and may meet with very considerable discussion.
Mr George Lambert
, South Molton
Is it proposed to bring these Resolutions before the House of Commons?
Mr Winston Churchill
, Dundee
Not in the first instance. They primarily concern the Second Chamber, and our function arises more in regard to the relation between the two Houses than in regard to the exact composition of the Second Chamber, though both, no doubt. are within the purview of this House.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Dundee
The intentions of the Government have been so abundantly declared in this matter that I should not like to attempt to add anything.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
During a debate members of the House of Commons traditionally refer to the House of Lords as 'another place' or 'the other place'.
Peers return the gesture when they speak of the Commons in the same way.
This arcane form of address is something the Labour Government has been reviewing as part of its programme to modernise the Houses of Parliament.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
