– in the House of Commons at 6:41 pm on 11 February 2013.
Tom Watson
Labour Party Deputy Chair; Campaign Co-ordinator, Deputy Chair, Labour Party
6:41,
11 February 2013
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. In answering my question earlier, I fear that the Secretary of State might have given incorrect information. I am sure that I heard him say that he spoke to the chief executive of Findus UK on Saturday, but my understanding is that there is not currently a chief exec of the company. He left last December, hence my point about the executive chairman in New York. I would be grateful if the Secretary of State found out who was masquerading as the chief executive, if that is possible.
Owen Paterson
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I can confirm that I spoke to Mr Leendert den Hollander. Perhaps I have inadvertently misled the House and given him the wrong title, but that was his name.
Tom Watson
Labour Party Deputy Chair; Campaign Co-ordinator, Deputy Chair, Labour Party
Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I believe that that person works for a completely different company—namely, Young’s Seafood.
Nigel Evans
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means)
I am sure that this is something that can be sorted out in the course of time.
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 Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
