– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 9 June 1964.
Mr Marcus Lipton
, Lambeth Brixton
12:00,
9 June 1964
asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Chancellor of the exchequer to the County Councils' Association on 27th May on the subject of rates represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.
Mr Marcus Lipton
, Lambeth Brixton
If the Prime Minister agrees with the Chancellor of the exchequer that rates will continue to rise substantially unless the present system is modified, is that any excuse for him to be as lazy as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his approach to the problem?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
We have set certain machinery in motion. Professor Allen has a committee in being which is looking into the facts of the matter and will report. No doubt we will have to take some action, but we want to take the right action on the right facts.
Miss Irene Ward
, Tynemouth
May I ask my right hon. Friend whether he will ask the hon. Member—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
Order. It is not one of the duties of the Prime Minister towards the House to ask questions of hon. Members of the Opposition. Mr. Michael Stewart.
Miss Irene Ward
, Tynemouth
Mr. Speaker, may I put the question in another way?
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
At the moment I have called Mr. Michael Stewart.
Mr Michael Maitland Stewart
, Fulham
But has the Prime Minister—
Miss Irene Ward
, Tynemouth
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, you called me to ask a supplementary question.
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
I called the hon. Lady to ask a question, but she asked a question which was out of order and so I called another hon. Member.
Mr Michael Maitland Stewart
, Fulham
According to a report in The Times, the Chancellor of the exchequer said that the Government were examining the possibility of additional sources of revenue for local authorities. As that would lie outside the scope of the Allen Committee, what steps are the Government taking to inquire into this matter?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
We have our own methods of inquiry. As I think the hon. Gentleman knows, the Allen Committee is to look into the facts. The problem here is that there are some ratepayers in some areas who are suffering hardship. We want, therefore, to apply the remedy to the right places, and to the right people.
Sir Charles Taylor
, Eastbourne
Is the Prime Minister aware that very recently the Government accepted a Motion, which I moved, which suggested that a greater proportion of the cost of education should be borne by the central Government rather than by the rates?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
It is the extra expenditure on education which, I think, is largely responsible for this problem. If not now, at least it raises problems for the future, and it is these problems which we are studying and on which, I hope, in future we shall be able to act sensibly.
Mr Michael Maitland Stewart
, Fulham
Does the Prime Minister realise that he has not answered my question at all? The Chancellor of the exchequer said that the Government were inquiring into the possibility of additional sources of revenue for local authorities. What I asked the Prime Minister was what inquiries, in what form, and by whom, the Government were making into this matter?—not the field of the Allen Committee, which is something quite different. Will the right hon. Gentleman also say why, if the Government are now inquiring into this, they did not take the advice of the Opposition about a year ago to do so?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
Because we had put the inquiry into the hands of Professor Allen on the facts.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
It is no use the hon. Gentleman saying "No", because that is what we have done, and what we are going to do is to make our own inquiries so that when Professor Allen reports we shall be able to take action quickly.
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 Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
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.
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.
