Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 12 August 1947.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Thomas Moore
, Ayr District of Burghs
12:00,
12 August 1947
asked the Minister of Agriculture how many officers of the Animal Health Division of his Department have now received increases in salary equivalent to 30 per cent. to 45 per cent. of their prewar scales; and whether, in arriving at these figures, the bonus additions to basic rates have been included or excluded.
Mr Percy Collick
, Birkenhead West
All the professional officers of superintending inspector rank and below who were employed in the Department at the outbreak of war are paid on scales which have been increased from 30–45 per cent. over their prewar scales. The question of bonus additions no longer arises since the staff are paid consolidated salaries.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Thomas Moore
, Ayr District of Burghs
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the misunderstanding which exists with regard to recent salary increases for the veterinary staff of his Department, he will arrange for an explanatory statement in this connection to be made available for publication in the Veterinary Record, so that the full facts may be available to all members of the veterinary profession in this country.
Mr Percy Collick
, Birkenhead West
Within the next few days I will send to the hon. and gallant Member an explanatory statement which can be made available for publication in the Veterinary Record or elsewhere.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Thomas Moore
, Ayr District of Burghs
Will the hon. Gentleman publish the statement so that members of the veterinary profession will know where they stand, and in order that the discrepancies which obviously occur may be explained?
Mr Percy Collick
, Birkenhead West
As I have indicated, we shall send it to the hon. and gallant Gentleman, and if the parties concerned publish it, that is their responsibility, as I am sure the hon. and gallant Gentleman would agree.
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.
