– in the House of Commons at 10:36 pm on 18 October 2005.
The following Private Ruling given by Mr. Speaker is published in accordance with Mr. Speaker's statement of
From
"Erskine May", "Parliamentary Practice", 23rd edition, page 260, records:
"It is not in order for a Member to obtain or quote during a current sitting the record made for the Official Report of the remarks of any other Member".
I have tried to establish the origins of the rule, which is based on rulings by my predecessors. The main justification appears to be that it would be wrong to argue about what was said until an authoritative published text was available. There is no rule, for example, that a Member's remarks on the first day of a two-day debate should not be quoted on a subsequent day.
In the light of the availability to Members of an authoritative text of speeches made on the same day, I now rule that the current practice set out in "May" should be disregarded where a Member is quoting from published material remarks made in the House on the same day.
The practice that, apart from the Speaker, only the Member concerned has a right to see the text of their speech before publication will not be affected.
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 House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
