– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 19 Chwefror 1964.
Mr Gerald Reynolds
, Islington North
12:00,
19 Chwefror 1964
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. A few moments ago the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Robert Cooke) rose to put a point of order on a supplementary question and gave notice that he would raise the matter on the Adjournment. He did not use the usual form about not being satisfied with the nature of the reply, but said, in effect, that he was giving notice because, in his view, the matter had already been adequately considered on five previous occasions and that notice of an Adjournment Debate would stop further questions today.
Is this not an abuse of procedure? What guarantee have we that the hon. Member who, in effect, stifled further questioning by giving this notice, will, in fact, give notice in the correct way in seeking an Adjournment debate and that his application will be considered by you in the ordinary way if he has good fortune in the Ballot?
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
Two points are involved here. The first is that it is highly desirable that hon. Members, in giving notice, should remember to use the traditional formula and not add words to it. Almost everyone does add words, but it is an undesirable practice and I hope that we can get rid of it.
Secondly, it is for me to judge whether notice is given in abuse—that is to say, merely to stifle further questioning. When I accepted the notice given by the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Robert Cooke) I did not think that it was, in such circumstances, subject to my having made a mistake in forgetting that I had called the hon. Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Loughlin). An hon. Member having given notice that he will raise the matter in that manner, I cannot go further.
Mr Gerald Reynolds
, Islington North
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I question you at some future date if you know by then that this notice was not given by the hon. Member for Bristol, West?
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
, Cities of London and Westminster
If the hon. Gentleman wants to ask a question of me he will have to do so by Private Notice, so that the Chair can consider whether or not to allow it.
An adjournment debate is a short half hour debate that is introduced by a backbencher at the end of each day's business in the House of Commons.
Adjournment debates are also held in the side chamber of Westminster Hall.
This technical procedure of debating a motion that the House should adjourn gives backbench members the opportunity to discuss issues of concern to them, and to have a minister respond to the points they raise.
The speaker holds a weekly ballot in order to decide which backbench members will get to choose the subject for each daily debate.
Backbenchers normally use this as an opportunity to debate issues related to their constituency.
An all-day adjournment debate is normally held on the final day before each parliamentary recess begins. On these occasions MPs do not have to give advance notice of the subjects which they intend to raise.
The leader of the House replies at the end of the debate to all of the issues raised.
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.
