Orders of the Day — Civil Estimates and Estimates for Revenue Departments, Supplementary Estimates, 1934. – in the House of Commons at on 1 March 1935.
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
This is one of two successive Votes for exceeding the original Estimate. The first Vote is one for furniture renting, fuel, gas, electric current and water. The main cause of the increase here has been that we have increased the number of buildings and hirings on this Vote during the course of the year. We have also had to find a certain amount of furniture for the offices of the Unemployment Assistance Board for which we shall get paid back. I do not think there is anything else in this Vote.
Mr Wilfred Paling
, Wentworth
I would like to ask a question about the item on page 23—new works, alterations, additions and purchases. I would like to know in regard to alterations whether any provision is made for the shelter of the people who are likely to have to wait in queues. The right hon. Member will know that this question is always cropping up. Apparently, certain alterations are being made in the buildings to deal with applicants for unemployment assistance, and therefore I would like to know whether any provision for these people who are likely to be at these buildings, in some cases in considerable numbers. In spite of all the arrangements which are made to stop overlapping, there is overlapping, and in quite a number of buildings, no provision is made for shelter. I would like to know whether that has been taken into consideration, and whether anything has been done to provide for these people.
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
This Vote does not touch any offices at which the unemployed are likely to have to wait. The Vote is entirely in respect of the headquarters, district, sub-district and area offices of the Unemployment Assistance Board. At short notice in the last two months we have had to acquire office accommodation for the Board, for instance at the headquarters at Thames House. In some cases we have been able to take over what I might call running offices. I appreciate the point raised by the hon. Member, and on the proper occasion I shall be glad to deal with it.
Mr Joseph Batey
, Spennymoor
This Estimate raises two important questions, one dealing with furniture and offices of the Unemployment Assistance Board, and the other is an old friend of some of us and relates to the Commissioners for the distressed areas. It is unfortunate that this important Estimate comes up late on a Friday afternoon. Had it come up on another day we would have challenged a Division on it and would have voted against it. I am opposed to the spending of even £10 upon furniture and offices for the Unemployment Assistance Board. I am opposed to the setting up of this new organisation, with separate offices and other things.
Mr James Milner
, Leeds South East
The hon. Member con-not go into that question on this Supplementary Vote.
Mr Joseph Batey
, Spennymoor
I am against the spending of any more money on the provision of offices or furniture for the Unemployment Assistance Board. Even a token Vote of £10 is £10 wasted. We do not know whether the Board is to continue or not. All these offices and all this furniture may be scrapped. If the Government took the sensible view they would scrap the Board at once. I am sorry that we cannot go fully into this matter and say on this Vote the things we would like to say. Then there is £250 for fuel and gas and electric current and water for the Commissioners of the special areas. I am wondering whether the English Commissioner is still alive. We never hear anything of him. Yet we are asked to vote further sums of money to the two Commissioners, who are apparently doing nothing, who seem to have no signs of life, at all and are absolutely dead. Why should we spend more money on them, especially on the English Commissioner? I know nothing about the Scottish Commissioner; I leave him to Scotsmen. The English Commissioner was appointed to deal with the distressed areas, but he is doing nothing at all in the North of England. We cannot debate the wastage of this money, but it seems to me that we are spending money that we could far better give to. the unemployed to provide them with food and clothing.
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.
