– in the House of Commons at 3:31 pm on 22 January 1991.
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
3:31,
22 January 1991
In view of the answer that the Prime Minister has just given covering the application under Standing Order No. 20 of the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell), does he wish to proceed?
Mr Tam Dalyell
, Linlithgow
Before 9 o'clock, Mr. Speaker, I gave you notice that I wished to raise under Standing Order No. 20, the subject of
the detonation and ignition by Iraq of the oilfields in Kuwait.
In answer to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Sir D. Steel), the Prime Minister said that he would make information public. May I put it to the Prime Minister—
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
Order. The application is to me. The hon. Member is asking for an Emergency Debate on this matter.
Mr Tam Dalyell
, Linlithgow
The matter is definite, urgent and important. Under "definite" I ask that we just see the visual images, that are like Flixborough or Piper Alpha, of the fires in the Kuwaiti oilfields. The truthful answer is that we do not yet know the causes. It depends on oxygen, on the amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, and on the problems of photochemical smog, but I argue that this an important matter and that it ought to take precedence over the business later tonight or tomorrow.
What is at issue is the injury to the planet: the soot could make agriculture, both animal husbandry and crop-growing, impossible and could effect the lives of millions of people if, as has been argued on the best scientific grounds, the monsoons were to be altered by this sort of fire.
I put it to you, Mr. Speaker, with the good will that the Prime Minister showed in his answer and with his undertaking, that there would be constant reporting of events in the Gulf, and that, through the usual channels, you give precedence, either later tonight or tomorrow, to the ecological and human results of these disastrous fires. Unless there is a ceasefire, who will put them out?
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
The hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) seeks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,
the detonation and ignition by Iraq of oilfields in Kuwait.
I have no doubt that, if what the hon. Member has outlined were to occur, that would be a very serious matter. I have listened carefully to what he has said about it today. I have to say that, in this case, the matter which he has raised does not meet the criteria of Standing Order No. 20, and I therefore cannot submit his application to the House.
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.
An emergency debate is a debate called at short notice on a subject of a "specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration". An MP may apply to the Speaker for an emergency debate under the rules of Standing Order No. 24. Many more MPs request emergency debates than are granted. The Speaker usually grants no more than one or two a year and limits them to matters of national importance. They take place within 24 hours of being granted.
An adjournment is a break in the course of parliamentary business.
The House adjourns at the end of each day's business.
On a daily basis the House adjourns, or breaks, half an hour after the moving of the adjournment debate.
The House is also adjourned for several holiday periods during the session.
The more lengthy adjournments - often coinciding with the academic calendar - are known as recesses.
