Road Traffic (Random Breath Testing) – in the House of Commons at 3:50 pm on 22 January 1991.
Chris Mullin
, Sunderland South
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have just come from Her Majesty's prison, Pentonville, where a constituent of mine is one of about 70 Iraqis held in conditions far worse than those in which Saddam Hussein held his hostages. He has lived in this country for nearly 10 years. He was picked up without any notice and brought to the prison in handcuffs. He is a respectable business man, who has never been involved in any political activity of any kind. He and about 70 other people are now languishing in Pentonville prison awaiting deportation to Iraq, where many of them face perhaps death.
As I cannot get any sense out of the Home Office on this subject, Mr. Speaker, I wonder whether you could use your influence with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ask him to come to the House to make a statement. Perhaps you could remind him that we are supposed to be fighting a police state, not behaving as though we are one.
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
This patently is not a matter for me. The hon. Member has made his point, and I am sure that what he has said will have been heard by those on the front bench.
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 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.
