Oral Answers to Questions — Policec – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 December 1947.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
12:00,
4 December 1947
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police, and from which Divisions, were on duty on the evening of 27th November, at Wilmott Street, Bethnal Green, to protect Sir Oswald Mosley; who was the officer in charge; from what routine duties these police were removed; and what was the cost of maintaining these forces on duty for this purpose.
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
The greatest number of police officers on duty at any one time on the evening of 27th November, in connection with this meeting, was 97, under the Acting Superintendent, H. Division. Reinforcements were draw from beat and patrol duties in two neighbouring Divisions without additional cost to public funds. It was necessary to employ this number of police to prevent a breach of the peace being caused by opponents of the meeting who, by means of a motorcar with a loudspeaker, incited a crowd to assemble near the premises, and there was reason to apprehend organised violence.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
Is not the Minister aware that, if this large body of police had not been employed for that purpose, there would have been no disturbance, as this man would not have come out unless he had been assured that a large body of police were at his disposal?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
This man has no body of police at his disposal, and no assurance of any body of police being at his disposal, beyond the assurance that every citizen of this country has with regard to the police force.
Viscount Turnour
, Horsham
Is it not the case that the Majority of these police were used to prevent the Communists fighting their natural allies, the Fascists?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
I do not think that is a bad description.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
Is the Minister aware that, before the war, this man proposed to come to Glasgow, but that when the police said that they could not protect him if he came to Glasgow, he did not come?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
That seems to me to be a reflection on the Glasgow police, which I do not endorse.
Mrs Leah Manning
, Epping
Am I to understand from my right hon. Friend's original reply that the rest of the streets in this town were left unprotected because the police were taken off their beats?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
No, the hon. Lady should not draw that deduction, although, undoubtedly, the strength of the police force for its ordinary duties was weakened on that evening.
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
This individual is getting a lot of publicity.
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.
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 term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
