– in the House of Commons at on 4 March 1924.
Mr. GRAHAM:
Under the arrangements set out in my answer to-day to the hon. Members for the Withington and South Tottenham Divisions, public libraries, universities, etc., will in future be able to obtain the Parliamentary Debates at 3d. a copy. The experience that has been gained by the reduction of the price from 1s. to 6d. makes it clear that a general reduction to 3d. would greatly increase the considerable loss already falling on public funds in respect of this publication, and in present circumstances I cannot see my way to agree to it.
Mr Isaac Foot
, Bodmin
Will the Treasury have regard to the directions given by a Committee of this House as far back as 1836, that the Reports of Parliament should be made available for the public at prices within their reach?
Colonel Sir Joseph Nall
, Manchester Hulme
Has the Treasury obtained tenders for the printing of these Papers, with a view to producing them at the lowest possible price?
Mr Harry Becker
, Richmond (Surrey)
Have the public shown any desire to read these Debates?
Viscount Ednam
, Hornsey
Did the Publications and Debates Committee recommend last year that the price of this publication should be reduced to sixpence?
Mr. GRAHAM:
With reference to the supplementary questions put by the hon. and gallant Member for the Hulme Division of Manchester (Sir J. Nall) and the hon. and gallant Member for Hornsey (Viscount Ednam), I should require notice. As regards the Report of the Committee which dates back to 1835, that obviously requires research.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
