– in the House of Commons at 9:28 pm on 27 March 1991.
Motion made, and Question proposed,That this House takes note of European Community Documents Nos. 9228/88 and 10333/90 on compulsory use of seat belts; notes that their provisions are broadly in accord with present and proposed domestic legislation; and endorses the Government's intention to seek amendment of the proposals so that any adopted Directive neither imposes unacceptable constraints nor limits the scope for further action perceived by Parliament to be necessary without prejudice to the question of competence of the Community in relation to road safety.—[Mr. Greg Knight.]
Mr Teddy Taylor
, Southend East
10:15,
27 March 1991
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I ask whether the Leader of the House would be willing to give further consideration to this very important constitutional point, and is it in order for the Leader of the House to comment?
Mr John MacGregor
Chair, Privileges Committee, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House Lords (Privy Council Office), Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Privy Council Office), Chair, Privileges Committee
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I can help the House and my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr.Taylor). These issues have been the subject of some initial discussion through the usual channels, but, as I have pointed out to my hon. Friend in the House before, when one embarks on a new process, as we are doing now, issues can sometimes arise that we must consider. I have said that we shall certainly be having a review before the end of the summer and that we may wish to review some of the issues earlier than that. My hon. Friend's point could be one of the issues that I shall look at with a bit of experience of the work of the relevant Standing Committees. I have made a note of what my hon. Friend has said. That is certainly one of the points that I shall look at.
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
Does the hon. Gentleman wish to move his Amendment?
Mr Teddy Taylor
, Southend East
In the circumstances, certainly not, Mr. Speaker.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
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.
