– in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 18 November 2022.
Maria Eagle
Labour, Garston and Halewood
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Have we not just seen, in swift time, how a worthy Bill can be dealt with in this Chamber? In fact, you referred to it. The Public Advocate (No. 2) Bill, which has just been objected to, has been brought to this House by me since 2016. It has widespread support across the House, including many senior Members, yet it is still being objected to, and I have not received any notification of why. This Bill would help prevent families caught up in public disasters, such as the Hillsborough families, from having to go through the heartache that they do, yet we are still seeing objections to it, and the reasons for that are not brought forward. Is it not a farce that we can see one Bill go through in three minutes, yet this Bill has been objected to every year since 2016?
Eleanor Laing
Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, Chair, Standing Orders Committee (Commons), Chair, Standing Orders Committee (Commons)
I fully appreciate the point of order that the hon. Lady makes. I have heard her speak to her Bill on a few occasions in this Chamber. It is not for me to judge whether it is a worthy Bill, but I have noted that it has widespread support. There is indeed often a feeling in the Chamber on a Friday that some Bills, which have been looked at, considered, debated and amended, and which have considerable support from all political perspectives, should probably be given a fairer wind. It is a point well made.
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.
A proposal for new legislation that is debated by Parliament.
