Part of Oral Answers to Questions — British Army – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1947.
Mr Thomas Skeffington-Lodge
, Bedford
12:00,
11 February 1947
asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he approved the arrangements made by the general officer commanding the 53rd Division in the British zone of Germany for requisitioning, in connection with a private party, the ss. "Mainz," and for her towage to the Hüllstrung Harbour, where a specially constructed landing stage is to be erected to connect her with Düsseldorf Yacht Club; and whether, in view of the effect of these plans on German public opinion, he will have them cancelled;
(2) whether it was with his approval that the general officer commanding the 53rd Division in the British zone of Germany recently ordered the closure of a section of the Autobahn for use as a car park and extensive alterations to be made at the yacht club at Düsseldorf, both in connection with a private party.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
