Oral Answers to Questions — Peace Treaties. – in the House of Commons am ar 25 Gorffennaf 1922.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
asked the Prime Minister (1) what will be the number of each of the classes of which the new Upper House is to be composed;
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN:
Both the matters to which the hon. and gallant Member refers will no doubt be discussed while the Debate on the Resolutions is proceeding in the House of Lords, and it would be premature for me to attempt to deal with either of them at the present stage by question and answer.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
Why cannot the right hon. Gentleman answer the simple specific Question 47—whether the Cabinet have made up their mind about this?
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN:
The Government have invited the House of Lords to co-operate with them in the reform of that House. I do not think we can enter into negotiations with success, and produce a cut-and-dried scheme, without reference to the discussion which is proceeding.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
Does not the Prime Minister think that the House of Commons might be asked to co-operate, too?
Dr. MURRAY:
Is it fair to ask the House of Lords to co-operate in committing suicide?
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
A proposal for new legislation that is debated by Parliament.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
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.
