– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 1 Rhagfyr 1947.
Mr Thomas Skeffington-Lodge
, Bedford
12:00,
1 Rhagfyr 1947
asked the Lord President of the Council if he is aware that seven identical copies, in separate envelopes, of a notice from the Privy Council ordering the inclusion in the Book of Common Prayer of the words the Duke of Edinburgh in the Prayers for the Royal Family have been sent to the Archdeacon of Bedford; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Herbert Morrison
, Lewisham East
I have caused inquiries to be made of Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode, who, as The King's Printers, were responsible for promulgating the Order to which my hon. Friend refers. I understand that they employed their usual addressing agency, and that, so far as Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode are aware, this is the first occasion on which the work of the agency has been open to criticism.
Mr Thomas Skeffington-Lodge
, Bedford
Is my right hon. Friend aware that private enterprise seems to be the culprit in this case, and that, out of consideration for the feelings of hon. Members opposite I do not propose to press this question as I might otherwise have done.
Captain Arthur Marsden
, Chertsey
May I ask the Lord President why it was that, in Prayers today, we referred to the Duke of Edinburgh as such, and did not use his Christian name, Philip, whereas we did use the Christian name in the case of the other Members of the Royal Family?
Mr Herbert Morrison
, Lewisham East
That has nothing to do with the Archdeacon having got a number of copies to which my hon. Friend referred. I think that that is a technical question which had better be put on the Order Paper.
The Privy Council goes back to the earliest days of the Monarchy, when it comprised those appointed by the King or Queen to advise on matters of state.
As the constitution developed into today's constitutional monarchy, under which The Sovereign acts on the advice of Ministers, so the Privy Council adapted. Its day to day business is transacted by those of Her Majesty's Ministers who are Privy Counsellors, that is all Cabinet Ministers and a number of junior Ministers. Membership of the Privy Council brings with it the right to be called "Right Honourable".
The Privy Council still meets regularly, on average once a month, but, as with the Cabinet, most of its business is transacted in discussion and correspondence between its Ministerial members and the Government Departments that advise them. The Privy Council Office (which is itself a Government Department) provides a secretariat for these discussions, as the Cabinet Office does in relation to the business of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees. Councils are held by The Queen and are attended by Ministers and the Clerk of the Council. At each meeting the Council will obtain Her Majesty's formal approval to a number of Orders which have already been discussed and approved by Ministers, much as Acts of Parliament become law through the giving of the Royal Assent after having been debated in Parliament.
Meetings are reported in the Court Circular, along with the names of Ministers attending (usually four in number). The Orders made at each Council are in the public domain, and each bears the date and place of the Council at which it was made. There is therefore nothing at all "secret" about Privy Council meetings. The myth that the Privy Council is a secretive body springs from the wording of the Privy Counsellor's Oath , which, in its current form, dates back to Tudor times. It requires those taking it to "keep secret all matters...treated of in Council". The Oath (or solemn affirmation for those who cannot take an Oath) is still administered, and is still binding; but it is only in very special circumstances nowadays that matters will come to a Privy Counsellor on "Privy Council terms". These will mostly concern matters of the national interest where it is important for senior members of Opposition parties to have access to Government information.
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It provides MPs with details of what will be happening in the House throughout the day.
It also gives details of when and where the standing committees and select committees of the Commons will be meeting.
Written questions tabled to ministers by MPs on the previous day are listed at the back of the order paper.
The order paper forms one section of the daily vote bundle and is issued by the Vote Office
