– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 January 1974.
Mr John Biffen
, Oswestry
12:00,
31 January 1974
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In the past 15 minutes we have had a most important statement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on his letter to the CBI and to the TUC, an important statement, read from extensive notes, by the Leader of the Opposition and, to some extent, an important statement from the Leader of the Liberal Party. As Questions to the Prime Minister traditionally and, in my view, rightly are the occasion for back benchers to ask questions of him, would it not have been much more appropriate and within the traditions of the House if what we had discussed for the past 15 minutes had been the subject of a statement?
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
That is not a matter for me, but perhaps the hon. Gentleman's observations have been noted.
Sir Charles Taylor
, Eastbourne
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Eventually the Prime Minister reached Question No. 2. I do not wish to waste the time of the House, but as the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party hogged the time during Prime Minister's Questions, may I come to see you, Sir, to make representations that this sort of thing should not happen? Would you give a ruling on this matter tomorrow?
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
I should be delighted to see the hon. Gentleman at any time, but any idea that criticism about the length of supplementary questions should be limited to front bench Members is quite wrong.
While I have not been on duty in the House I have been studying in HANSARD what occurred some time ago and what has happened more recently. I find that all too often a supplementary question consists of two statements and three questions from back-bench Members on both sides. That is an abuse which the Chair has only limited power to deal with. It is for hon. Members to deal with the problem themselves, because every long supplementary question cuts out a supplementary question from another hon. Member.
The "Leader of the Opposition" is head of "Her Majesty's Official Opposition". This position is taken by the Leader of the party with the 2nd largest number of MPs in the Commons.
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.
The first bench on either side of the House of Commons, reserved for ministers and leaders of the principal political parties.
