– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 6 November 1973.
Mr John Pardoe
, North Cornwall
12:00,
6 November 1973
With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a personal explanation.
Following an exchange during the debate on the Third Reading of the Education (Scotland) Bill on 9th July this year and subsequent comment in The Guardian last Friday, there appears to be great doubt about my connection with the National Association of Schoolmasters.
At the end of last year I terminated my arrangement with the National Association of Schoolmasters whereby for about five years I had been one of the three parliamentary advisers to the association. This arrangement I have frequently declared in the House, and it was listed in the Parliamentary Liberal Party's register of Members of Parliament.
The association wished to maintain its political balance and asked whether it could contribute an equivalent sum of £400 to Liberal Party research facilities. For 1973 it has made a contribution of that amount to the Liberal Central Association, from which I have received no direct benefit—[Interruption.]
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
Order. It is a longstanding convention of the House that a personal explanation is heard in silence.
Dennis Skinner
, Bolsover
I was interrupted on such an occasion.
Mr John Pardoe
, North Cornwall
I am not, and never have been, paid to represent any organisation in this House.
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.
