– in the House of Commons at on 20 February 1940.
Mr Alexander Walkden
, Bristol South
asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the present difficulty of maintaining good attendances during the late night hours by reason of curtailed train and road transport services and the danger of street accidents, he will, now that all Members of the Government and the officers of their respective Departments have the whole of Monday and Friday in each week free for Departmental duties, propose an Amendment of the Standing Orders to provide for earlier commencing and closing hours for Parliamentary business on the three days on which the House sits?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on the 12th December last in reply to a Question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Argyll (Mr. Macquisten).
Mr Alexander Walkden
, Bristol South
Could not the Government consider starting at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and closing at 10 p.m.?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
All these things have been considered but it has not been found possible to make a change.
Mr Robert Morrison
, Tottenham North
Is the Prime Minister aware that if 10 o'clock was substituted for 11 o'clock as the normal hour of Adjournment it would be a great convenience to hon. Members who have distances to travel?
Mr Ernest Thurtle
, Shoreditch
Is the Prime Minister aware that even a Conservative Prime Minister ought sometimes to be ready for a change?
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
