Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 18 October 2005.
Alistair Darling
The Secretary of State for Scotland, The Secretary of State for Transport
2:30,
18 October 2005
I take it from what the hon. Lady said that she had no particular question to ask. Most of the cases are civil cases, and I think that the Advocate-General has written to the hon. Lady on that. If she wants to know the detail of the 228 cases—and this point applies to the whole House—it may be better for her to request that in writing, as it would take some considerable time to deal with them all at the Dispatch Box.
When the Advocate-General speaks in the House of Lords is a matter outwith my control. The conventions and procedures there are different and most of us struggle to understand them fully.
Legal aid is a matter for the Lord Advocate in Scotland. I know that there have been discussions north of the border, just as there have been south of the border, about how to make sure that legal aid is spent reasonably, while ensuring that people who are entitled to legal services get them.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
If you've ever seen inside the Commons, you'll notice a large table in the middle - upon this table is a box, known as the dispatch box. When members of the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet address the house, they speak from the dispatch box. There is a dispatch box for the government and for the opposition. Ministers and Shadow Ministers speak to the house from these boxes.
