Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 May 1955.
Mr Charles Hale
, Oldham West
12:00,
4 May 1955
Before my right hon. Friend does that, I am sure he will not think I am being discourteous if I raise another matter. I had given notice to Mr. Speaker that I would raise two matters, and if I give way to my right hon. Friend—which I would always do, of course, as a matter of courtesy—I might deprive myself of the right of raising my second important point, on which I have written to Mr. Speaker seeking his guidance.
On returning from my Constituency on Monday, I addressed to the Prime Minister a Question which appeared on the Order Paper as No. 11. It was:
To ask the Prime Minister whether he is aware that a large number of mills in Oldham are now working short time and that some have closed down; and what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to deal with the situation in the cotton industry which is one of increasing gravity.
The significance of that Question is that this was a subject which the Prime Minister allocated to himself to deal with yesterday. The Prime Minister came here yesterday and made a statement on a limited aspect of the matter, saying that he proposed to accept the advice which we had addressed to him from these benches last Thursday. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] I hoped that I was being non-controversial on this, Mr. Speaker; I was
seeking your guidance. But it is on record that the Chancellor of the exchequer said he could not do it and was supported by hon. Members opposite. We said that it could be done, and it is now being done.
The point I wish to put is how on earth is a Back Bencher to know what the Prime Minister's business is? If it is his business to answer about cotton mills on Tuesday and then shift the subject on to someone else on Wednesday, what protection will hon. Members have from this habitual transference of Questions so that they cannot be answered? On the very day that the Prime Minister asks your leave to make a statement about the cotton industry he has written to me a letter to say that he refuses to make a statement about the cotton industry in answer to my Question.
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 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
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.
To allow another Member to speak.
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 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.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
