Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Naval and Military Pensions and Grants. – in the House of Commons at on 24 July 1923.
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
A Financial Resolution must be passed through Committee and Report stages before this Bill can have a Second Reading. It is proposed to put down the Committee stage of the Financial Resolution for consideration to-night after eleven, and should it then be found that the Bill is, in the main, an agreed Bill, every endeavour will be made to facilitate its passage into law before the House rises. My hon. Friend will understand that at this stage of the Session it would obviously be impossible to pass this Bill, requiring as it does a Financial Resolution, through the House of Commons and through its various stages in Another place in so short a time except by general agreement.
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.
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
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.
