Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 24 June 1964.
Mr Michael Hutchison
, Edinburgh South
12:00,
24 June 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to make the provisions of the Succession (Scotland) Act known to the public.
Lady Grant of Monymusk
, Aberdeen South
I would refer my hon. Friend to the Reply my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Leith (Mr. Hoy) on 17th June.
Mr Michael Hutchison
, Edinburgh South
Does my noble Friend agree that this Act underlines the need for people to make wills and the wisdom of so doing?
Lady Grant of Monymusk
, Aberdeen South
Yes, Sir. However carefully the Act has been framed, it cannot be anything but a substitute for the making of a will, and I hope that everyone will note how important it is to make a will.
Miss Peggy Herbison
, Lanarkshire North
Is the noble Lady aware that the vast Majority of women in Scotland know the provisions of the Bill, since they waited many years to get it and had to depend upon this side of the House pushing the Government to bring it forward?
Lady Grant of Monymusk
, Aberdeen South
The fact remains that it was this Government that got the Bill on the Statute Book.
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 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.
