Oral Answers to Questions — Coal Industry. – in the House of Commons at on 20 February 1940.
Mr Robert Taylor
, Morpeth
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware of the short-time working in the Northumberland mines, and what steps he is taking to bring about an improvement?
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware of the great hardship that exists among miners in the North-east coalfield owing to the irregular working of the pits; whether he is aware that some pits have only worked one shift a week, and that there is considerable discontent among the miners; and when he expects to be in a position to report on the joint efforts of the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Shipping and the Mines Department to deal with the situation?
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Birmingham, Ladywood
My Department is in close consultation with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Shipping in an endeavour to improve the position; and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport proposes to make a statement to-morrow on the internal transport of coal from the North-eastern coalfields.
Mr Robert Taylor
, Morpeth
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that, according to his own statements, he has now been in consultation on this matter for a considerable time; and is he also aware that there are two districts in my Division in one of which unemployment has increased from 600 to 3,000, while in the other it has increased from 1,000 to 10,000?
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Birmingham, Ladywood
I think the difficulties, which are considerable, are understood fully. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would await my right hon. Friend's statement.
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in spite of that close co-operation to which he has referred, thousands of miners in Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire have been idle for many weeks and that some of them are getting only one shift a week; that there is serious discontent in the area and that the miners have come to the conclusion that the Ministry of Mines, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Shipping and the Government generally have failed them at this time?
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
How can the hon. Gentleman reconcile the fact that so many miners are out of employment with the fact that thousands of families cannot get coal at all?
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Birmingham, Ladywood
I have said that the limitation on production at present is the amount that can be transported by the available means.
Mr Jack Lawson
, Chester-le-Street
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this has gone on for months but was never taken any notice of by the country until large numbers of consumers found themselves in want of coal; and when are the Government going to do something about it?
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Birmingham, Ladywood
Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would await the statement which is to be made by my right hon. Friend to-morrow.
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.
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.
