– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 4 Tachwedd 1947.
Sir Waldron Smithers
, Orpington
12:00,
4 Tachwedd 1947
asked the Chancellor of the exchequer if he will give a list of the emoluments that each Minister and junior Minister receives, in the shape of free lodging, motorcar service and the like, in addition to his Ministerial salary; and the cost of these extra items to the taxpayer.
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
As the answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Sir Waldron Smithers
, Orpington
Is the Minister aware that I thought he would wriggle out by giving an answer like that? In view of the fact that Ministers are asking the whole country to make sacrifices, would it not be a good example to set to stop feathering their own nests?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
I think a general charge that Ministers are feathering their own nests is hardly in accordance with Parliamentary practice.
Sir Waldron Smithers
, Orpington
I withdraw, but I ask, is this policy of perquisites a policy of soaking the rich?
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
The hon. Member, not for the first time, is seeking to make a party point out of these matters. Therefore, I take this opportunity of telling him that all the matters in which he is showing interest are matters in which we have continued the practice of our predecessors, as he will learn if he takes the trouble to read the very instructive report which I am circulating.
As the hon. Member was informed on 25th March last, five Ministers are provided with rent-free residential accommodation—namely, the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Lord Chancellor (as Speaker of the House of Lords) and the First Lord of the Admiralty. In the case of the Foreign Secretary, the practice was introduced in 1946, though his predecessor had occupied a rent-free flat in the Foreign Office. In the other cases the arrangement is of long standing, dating back to the eighteenth, or to the early nineteenth century. In all five cases the accommodation at present consists of a flat or suite of rooms in a building, the rest of which is used for official and other State purposes, and the cost to the taxpayer can, therefore, be only approximately assessed by way of apportionments. On this basis, the annual cost to the taxpayer is at present about £1,100 in respect of contribution in lieu of rates on these five residences and about £5,000 in respect of maintenance, heating and lighting and garage accommodation. The building which contains the Foreign Secretary's flat is held on lease from the Commissioners of Crown Lands (the proportion of the rent attributable to the residential portion being about £1,000): in the other cases the accommodation is in Crown buildings and no rent is payable from public funds.
The above figures do not include Chequers, which is the property of Trustees. The bulk of the annual expenditure is met from the income of the Trust, as constituted under the Chequers Estate Act, 1917: but for the last 20 years certain charges in respect of maintenance and repairs have been borne on the Votes of the Ministry of Works. These at present amount, excluding non-recurrent expenditure, to about £1,850 per annum.
No other Ministers receive any other emoluments in addition to their salaries. The provision of official cars to enable Ministers to discharge their duties is an essential part of normal administrative expenditure and it not an emolument of Ministers. Since this arrangement was introduced in 1939, official cars and drivers have been available to senior Ministers. The annual cost is about £1,000 a head. No cars are allocated to junior Ministers, who, however, are entitled to draw on a car pool for official purposes. The cost of such facilities is about 1s. 4d. a mile.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
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.
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.
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.
