Oral Answers to Questions — Board of Trade – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 December 1964.
Mr John Biggs-Davison
, Chigwell
12:00,
10 December 1964
asked the Prime Minister whether he will extend an official invitation to President Tshombe to visit London.
Mr George Brown
, Belper
I have been asked to reply.
We have no such intention at the moment, Sir.
Mr John Biggs-Davison
, Chigwell
Will Her Majesty's Government not be too hesitant about doing the right thing? Do not British lives and the chances of keeping the cold war out of Africa depend upon the making of peace in the Congo? Is it not therefore a British interest to seek to give all the help, whether technical or of other character, which it is possible to give to President Tshombe's efforts?
Mr George Brown
, Belper
I take account of all that, but my answer to the Question on the Order Paper remains as I gave it.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
Can the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that he is in consultation with the Prime Minister and that the Prime Minister and the Government are in consultation with our allies on how best we might help Europeans in the Congo should the occasion arise again? That might easily happen.
Mr George Brown
, Belper
The right hon. Gentleman can not only take it, he knows it.
Mr William Warbey
, Ashfield
Will my right hon. Friend undertake to do nothing to facilitate a meeting of the new African Fascist Internationale in London?
Mr Anthony Fell
, Yarmouth
Will the right hon. Gentleman answer this question? In view of the fact that British lives and the lives of other nationals depend now, since the Belgians left, entirely upon Congolese troops under President Tshombe, did the Government do anything to try to see President Tshombe when he was in Paris recently?
Mr George Brown
, Belper
That is precisely the kind of question that I find offensive—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—because if hon. and right hon. Members opposite really believe that they are the only people who care—[HON. MEMBERS: "Answer."]—then hon. Members must listen. If they really believe that they are the only people who care for our fellow-citizens in trouble, I find it very arrogant. We, of course, take every step, and I repeat that the right hon. Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Sir Alec Douglas-Home) knows what we did.
Mr Anthony Fell
, Yarmouth
On a point of order. It will be in your recollection, Mr. Speaker, that the question I asked was certainly not an arrogant one. Is there no protection against the sort of twisting that is going on from the Deputy prime minister?
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
This is not a matter for me. Do let us make progress. Sir Alec Douglas-Home.
Mr Samuel Silverman
, Nelson and Colne
On a point of order. Is it possible, or within your province, Mr. Speaker, to explain how any of these supplementary questions arise out of the Question on the Order Paper which has been answered and which asks whether the Prime Minister will extend an official invitation to President Tshombe to visit London?
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
Following precedent, in the circumstances the questions are within the range of what arises.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
The right hon. Gentleman the Deputy prime minister is unnecessarily touchy and noisy today. Is he aware that all I wanted to do was to allow him on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government to assure the House that they were in touch with our allies about the situation which could be extremely dangerous to British citizens? I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will do that.
Mr George Brown
, Belper
I respond entirely in that case. I misunderstood the terms in which the right hon. Gentleman put his question. As surely the House must assume, and as the right hon. Gentleman knows, we have of course been in touch all the way through and have been influencing what happened all the way through to help our fellow-citizens in this difficult situation.
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
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 office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. Unlike analogous offices in other nations, the Deputy Prime Minister does not have any of the powers of the Prime Minister in the latter's absence and there is no presumption that the Deputy Prime Minister will succeed the Prime Minister.
The post has existed intermittently and there have been a number of disputed occasions as to whether or not the title has actually been conferred.
More from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom
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.
