Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 15 October 2009.
Evan Harris
Shadow Science Minister
10:30,
15 October 2009
What representations she has received on further parliamentary scrutiny of the Equality Bill; and if she will make a statement.
Barbara Keeley
The Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House and I have received representations on the Equality Bill, including those from the hon. Gentleman.
Evan Harris
Shadow Science Minister
The Leader of the House has given assurances, which we accept at face value, from the Dispatch Box in business questions that there will be negotiation about how a considerable number of issues that have been tabled for debate on Report can be fitted in. The Deputy Leader of the House believes that programming is agreed across the parties. At what point does she think that the discussions will begin? Will she urge her colleagues to begin them as soon as possible?
Barbara Keeley
The Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
I have spoken to the Bill Minister, my hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General, who is still giving close consideration to the many matters that were debated in the Committee that considered the Equality Bill. We do not yet have a definite date in mind for the later stages, but I will bring the matter to the attention of my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House.
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
