Oral Answers to Questions — National Finance – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 March 1947.
Mr William Shepherd
, Bucklow
12:00,
4 March 1947
asked the Chancellor of the exchequer to what extent in 1946 goods were supplied against sterling balances which accrued from other than current transactions.
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for East Aberdeen (Mr. Boothby) last Tuesday.
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
The front bench must not gatecrash on a Back Bencher. Mr. Shepherd.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Woodford
I rise—[Interruption]—to a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. With very great respect, I would like to submit to you that I had no idea that the hon. Member who asked the Question was rising in his place—[HON. MEMBERS: "Look round."] May I also submit to you, Sir, that your application of the word "gatecrash" is wholly unwarranted?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
It is always my custom that when an hon. Member asks a Question he is entitled to the first supplementary, and if a Member on the front bench wants to get up, surely he can look round to see if the hon. Member who put the Question has risen. Personally, I do not see, if the right hon. Gentleman does not look round, what the difference is between that and gatecrashing.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Woodford
With great respect, Mr. Speaker, as you have gone out of your way to inflict this censure on me, may I— [Interruption]—to inflict this censure on me in terms of unusual Parliamentary language—"gatecrash" is a slang expression—[Interruption]—may I place on record, as a very old Member of this House, my regret that you should have thought it necessary to take such action?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
If the right hon. Gentleman takes offence at the expression "gatecrash," I am very sorry, but I thought it explained exactly what I meant.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Woodford
It is not your cheer.
Viscount Turnour
, Horsham
You got a cheer from Mrs. Braddock.
Mrs. Braddock:
Is it in Order, Mr. Speaker, for the noble old man opposite—[Interruption.]
Mrs. Braddock:
—to make reference to myself by my own name instead of as the hon. Member for the Exchange Division of Liverpool?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
I did not hear a thing, as a matter of fact. I do not know what the noble Lord said.
Viscount Turnour
, Horsham
On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker, may I—
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
He is always being offensive.
Mr David Kirkwood
, Dumbarton District of Burghs
He is the rudest man in the House.
Viscount Turnour
, Horsham
I am delighted to hear that the hon. Member thinks so. On a point of Order, Sir, may I—[Interruption.]
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
Hon. Members should let the noble Lord say what he wants to say.
Viscount Turnour
, Horsham
May I say that I apologise to you, Sir, for having inadvertently used the hon. Lady's name when I should have referred to her by her Constituency? I am very much ashamed of having used such a name.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Woodford
If I am not gatecrashing now—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—perhaps I may be permitted to ask a supplementary question—
Mr David Kirkwood
, Dumbarton District of Burghs
If you behave yourself.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Woodford
The supplementary question which I wished to ask the Chancellor of the exchequer was about the 1946 goods supplied against sterling balances which accrued from other than current transactions. I was going to ask whether in the total statement of exports from this country, there was account taken of the fact that a large proportion of the exports of this country are merely the payment off of sterling balances which bring in no reciprocal contribution to the wage fund?
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
There is, of course, such an element, as the right hon. Gentleman indicates, contained in the export trade. It is not, I am glad to say, at present very large, and I hope that as a consequence of the negotiations which we have embarked upon, and which we have in mind to continue, it can be kept well within bounds.
Mr Tom Driberg
, Maldon
Mr. Speaker, is it not clear from the events of last night and this afternoon that the party opposite—
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
If I am on my feet, everybody else should remain silent. I do not think the last supplementary question had anything to do with the Question on the Order Paper.
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 first bench on either side of the House of Commons, reserved for ministers and leaders of the principal political parties.
A Backbencher is a Member who holds no official position in government or in his or her party. Back benchers sit on the back benches in the Chamber.
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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.
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