– in the House of Commons at on 17 September 1931.
Mr Ernest Thurtle
, Shoreditch
I gave notice to you earlier, Mr. Speaker, that I wished to raise a point of Order in connection with the right of Members of this House to move the Adjournment of the House. It will be within your recollection that yesterday my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Central Portsmouth (Captain W. G. Hall) asked leave to move the Adjournment of the House in regard to the unrest then prevailing in the Atlantic Fleet. According to Standing Order No. 10, a Member may move the Adjournment of the House on a definite matter of urgent public importance. On reference to Erskine May's "Parliamentary Practice," I find that the Speaker may refuse to accept such a Motion if in his opinion the subject brought forward is not definite, urgent, or of public importance. For our guidance as to the future, when we may wish to bring forward a, similar Motion, I would like you, if you would be good enough, to explain to the House whether you regarded the Motion yesterday as not being definite, or as not being urgent, or as not being of public importance.
Lieut-General Edward Fitzroy
, Daventry
I have in mind the practice under the Standing Order and the passage to which the hon. Member has referred in Erskine May, and the Ruling which I gave yesterday is one which is specially referred to in Erskine May. The question is not whether the matter is definite, urgent, or of public importance, but whether it would not be better left over, until further information is available, to be discussed, not on that day, but perhaps on the next day or the day after that. There was a Ruling not very long ago in which the Speaker of that time said that he was not prejudiced either one way or the other if the question were raised on a subsequent occasion.
Mr Ernest Thurtle
, Shoreditch
In the light of that reply, would you explain to the House whether any obligation devolves upon the Chair in such circumstances to see that an early opportunity is provided for the discussion of the matter in question?
Lieut-General Edward Fitzroy
, Daventry
I think that the hon. Member is mistaken. Even if the Speaker does not allow the Motion to be moved on that occasion, he is not prejudiced in any way from, perhaps, accepting the Motion on a subsequent day.
An adjournment is a break in the course of parliamentary business.
The House adjourns at the end of each day's business.
On a daily basis the House adjourns, or breaks, half an hour after the moving of the adjournment debate.
The House is also adjourned for several holiday periods during the session.
The more lengthy adjournments - often coinciding with the academic calendar - are known as recesses.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
