– in the House of Commons at 12:34 pm on 19 December 2006.
Oliver Heald
Shadow Secretary of State (Justice), Shadow Secretary of State
12:34,
19 December 2006
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. If the Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Vera Baird discovers that she did not consult the Law Centres Federation before ploughing ahead with the community legal aid and advice centres, will she be able to come to the House and correct the record? Would that not be the normal practice?
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
I am not going to continue Question Time, which is what is happening at the moment.
Simon Hughes
Shadow Attorney General, Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Party Chair, Liberal Democrats
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am full of the Christmas spirit and have just left a Christmas card for Ministers on the front bench, but I would be grateful if you would rule that the Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Vera Baird, was out of order both today and the other day in relation to a Adjournment Debate secured by Ms Buck in Westminster Hall last week.
In respect of Adjournment debates, "Erskine May" says:
"An Opposition frontbench spokesman does not speak from the frontbench on such an occasion. Interventions from the Opposition front bench are not allowed; equally, because the debate is personal...no reference should be made to the absence of, for example, an Opposition frontbench spokesman."
I was present throughout the whole of the debate, because it was on my subject, but I did not seek to intervene. I would be grateful, Mr. Speaker, if you would confirm that I behaved entirely properly, and that the Under-Secretary was out of order in suggesting that I should have intervened, given that I know that we will have a three-hour debate on the matter in Westminster Hall at the beginning of next term.
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Perhaps the hon. Gentleman could write to the Under-Secretary on this matter, because I am being drawn into the argument. I think it would be best if he were careful about how he uses the term "Adjournment Debate". When we have Adjournment debates in Westminster Hall, there is usually an allocation of time for Front-Bench spokesmen, and that is different from an Adjournment debate on the Floor of the House, which is exclusively on a case that is being put by a Constituency MP. If the hon. Gentleman could write to the Under-Secretary to put the record straight, that would be the best way to proceed.
Desmond Swayne
Parliamentary Private Secretary To the Leader of the Opposition
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is there nothing that can be done about lawyers who are somewhat used to being paid by the hour and, as a consequence, take an inordinate amount of time to ask a question and even longer to answer one?
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
I have been giving some tutoring to the Under-Secretary, because I know that she came from the courts to Parliament. I would not say that she took too long today; it is just that she is improving, and there could be more improvement.
Henry Bellingham
Shadow Minister (Justice)
Further to the point of order raised by Simon Hughes, Mr. Speaker. I also attended the half-hour Westminster Hall debate on
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
That is what I said. We must be careful with our terms when we talk about half-hour debates. There are debates of an hour and a half or half an hour. As I said, these are matters that can be clarified by hon. Members with the Under-Secretary, so I have no need to be drawn in.
Julian Brazier
Shadow Minister (Transport)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Have you had an application from the Ministry of Defence to make a statement on the widespread stories in the press of an attack on the professionalism and morale of airborne forces through a long-term suspension of parachute training? In view of the astonishing record of the Paras and units such as 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery and 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers in doing the dirtiest, most difficult and most dangerous jobs in places ranging from the Falklands to Afghanistan, the House might wish to discuss this matter before it simply becomes a fact.
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Every Member of the House has a high regard for the Parachute Regiment, but that is really not a matter for the Chair. The hon. Gentleman could table parliamentary questions on the matter.
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.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
An adjournment debate is a short half hour debate that is introduced by a backbencher at the end of each day's business in the House of Commons.
Adjournment debates are also held in the side chamber of Westminster Hall.
This technical procedure of debating a motion that the House should adjourn gives backbench members the opportunity to discuss issues of concern to them, and to have a minister respond to the points they raise.
The speaker holds a weekly ballot in order to decide which backbench members will get to choose the subject for each daily debate.
Backbenchers normally use this as an opportunity to debate issues related to their constituency.
An all-day adjournment debate is normally held on the final day before each parliamentary recess begins. On these occasions MPs do not have to give advance notice of the subjects which they intend to raise.
The leader of the House replies at the end of the debate to all of the issues raised.
The first bench on either side of the House of Commons, reserved for ministers and leaders of the principal political parties.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
