Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies. – in the House of Commons at on 18 October 1939.
Mr Clement Attlee
, Stepney Limehouse
(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether in view of the general dissatisfaction expressed in the House yesterday on the subject of separation allowances and war pensions the Government are now prepared to reconsider the whole matter together with the personal injuries scheme?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
The questions raised in the Debate yesterday to which the right hon. Gentleman has called my attention are being carefully considered by the Ministers concerned, but the right hon. Gentleman will, I know, appreciate that this must take a little time.
Mr Clement Attlee
, Stepney Limehouse
Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that there was great feeling about this question in the House yesterday and that there was criticism of the fact that there was no responsible Cabinet Minister present on the Treasury Bench until steps were taken to send for the Chancellor of the exchequer? Will he arrange that on these occasions there shall be some one other than under Ministers who can report to the Prime Minister? Further, is he aware of the importance of this question of separation allowances as part of the war efforts of the country and as being absolutely essential to preserving the morale of our soldiers abroad?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
As to the subjects discussed during the Debate, I have already said that they are being considered by the Ministers concerned. I fully realise the feeling of the House in this matter, and I can promise that it will be carefully considered. With regard to whether a Cabinet Minister should always be on the bench, I think the right hon. Gentleman will realise that we have only a small Cabinet now, and that the Members of the Cabinet are very fully employed with urgent matters arising out of the war. In these circumstances, I am sure the House will be willing to extend some indulgence if it is not always possible for one of them to be on the bench at all times. Subject to that consideration we shall try to see that there is proper representation on the Treasury Bench when important matters are discussed.
Mr Clement Attlee
, Stepney Limehouse
Quite apart from the War Cabinet, which one might criticise as con- taining no one, apparently, who is charged with home affairs, there is the larger Cabinet, and is this House to be left now to Under-Secretries?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I do not know what the right hon. Gentleman means. There is no larger Cabinet.
Mr Jack Lawson
, Chester-le-Street
Is the Prime Minister aware that the House got the impression that the Cabinet and the Government regarded this as a trivial question?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I do not think they ought to have got that impression, and I do not think there was any reason for it.
Mr Clement Attlee
, Stepney Limehouse
Do I understand that there are no meetings of the larger Cabinet but only of the smaller Cabinet now?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I said to the right hon. Gentleman that there was no larger Cabinet. There is only one Cabinet and that is the War Cabinet, but there are, of course, a number of Ministers responsible for their Departments.
Mr Clement Attlee
, Stepney Limehouse
But there is a gradation between Ministers who have the larger responsibilities and Under-Secretaries, and this House is being left to Under-Secretaries.
Sir Archibald Sinclair
, Caithness and Sutherland
It was stated at Question Time that there is a Home Affairs Committee of the Cabinet. Is it not a fact that, during the whole of the Debate, which aroused very keen interest in all quarters of the House, and except for the short time when the Chancellor of the exchequer was present, no Minister was present who could be regarded as of Cabinet rank, even if he were not a Member of the War Cabinet; and could not the Prime Minister arrange that, in such important Debates, there should be one or two Members of the Home Affairs Committee of the Cabinet present, besides the Minister in charge of the Department?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I cannot give a specific undertaking to the right hon. Gentleman but I certainly appreciate that the House would wish to have somebody in a responsible position present during Debates when important matters are under discussion. We shall, of course, try to arrange as far as possible for that to be done.
Mr John McGovern
, Glasgow Shettleston
Give us an effective Opposition and we shall get them.
Colonel Sir Joseph Nall
, Manchester Hulme
If any further Debate is arranged on these matters, could the two questions of pensions and serving men's allowances be debated separately, as the latter is of immediate and urgent importance?
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
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Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
