– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 May 1947.
Mr Ernest Davies
, Enfield
,—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the exchequer, whether any relief to borrowers from the Local Loans Fund is in prospect as a consequence of the redemption of three per cent. Local Loans Stock.
At the end of Questions:
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
I will, with the permission of the House, answer Question No. 56—
Sir John Crowder
, Finchley
On a point of Order. May I ask for your guidance, MI. Speaker? As the hon. Member was not here to ask Question 56, does it not appear as a written answer?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
I was not quite sure at first about that, but I think it is in Order for an answer to be given to this Question.
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
I would not have ventured to suggest answering this Question but for the fact that this is a matter of wide interest, and I thought that the House should not be deprived of the information because of the hon. Member's late arrival. I answer it with the permission of the House, of course. The answer is as follows:
Yes, Sir. The redemption of Local Loans Stock has created a disposable surplus of £15 million in the Local Loans Fund. This surplus will be used to reduce all rates of interest on outstanding balances from the fund, in excess of 4¼ per cent. to this figure. This does not affect the so-called "Addison" loans to local authorities, where relief is already given by the Exchequer. This reduction will take effect from 1st June, 1947. Two-thirds of all the local authorities concerned, numbering nearly 2,000, will benefit from these reductions of interest rates. Most of these are small authorities, with very limited financial resources. This relief will, therefore, be both widespread and substantial. It is a further practical example of the benefit to the nation of cheaper money.
Mr George Drayson
, Skipton
Does not the Chancellor of the exchequer agree that this benefit to local authorities will be completely nullified by the fact that local authorities can no longer earn any money on the balances they may deposit in the banks?
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
I think that all the local authorities will get a very definite net advantage from these operations.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
Will the Chancellor of the exchequer continue to pursue this policy until local authorities are completely free from interest payments to the moneylenders?
Sir Ian Fraser
, Lonsdale
May I ask for your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, in regard to this innovation on the part of the Government front bench in the matter of dealing with Questions? This is a serious question. I am putting it to you that the rights of Private Members as regards Questions are to some extent infringed upon by the Minister, in that Question No. 89 was not called because the right hon. Gentleman preferred to answer Question 56. That may or may not be the more important Question, but this does affect the rights of Private Members in regard to Questions.
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
I do not quite follow the hon. Member's question. The Minister always has the right to answer any Question, whether it is reached or not, if he thinks it is of public importance. I have protested against this habit being pursued too frequently, but there is the right. Question 89 was not taken because the Chancellor of the exchequer wished to answer Question 56, but because we have spent so much time on the previous Questions.
Mr Anthony Eden
, Warwick and Leamington
May I ask for your guidance, Mr. Speaker, on this matter? I am not objecting to what has happened, but I do not think I have heard of this Ruling before. My impression was that a Minister always has the right to make a statement if he wishes. I did not know that any Minister had the right to answer any Question on the Order Paper; otherwise Ministers might be answering Questions which on second thoughts Private Members might think ought not to be put.
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
According to Erskine May, page 339:
If the Member responsible for a Question does not answer to the Speaker's call, a Minister may rise and make such statement upon the Question as the public interest demands.
Owing to a technical error I said that a Minister is entitled to answer a Question, when I should have said that Ministers are entitled to make a public statement.
The order paper is issued daily and lists the business which will be dealt with during that day's sitting of the House of Commons.
It provides MPs with details of what will be happening in the House throughout the day.
It also gives details of when and where the standing committees and select committees of the Commons will be meeting.
Written questions tabled to ministers by MPs on the previous day are listed at the back of the order paper.
The order paper forms one section of the daily vote bundle and is issued by the Vote Office
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 Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
The first bench on either side of the House of Commons, reserved for ministers and leaders of the principal political parties.
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.
