Oral Answers to Questions — Ministry of Health – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 4 Mai 1964.
Mr Kenneth Robinson
, St Pancras North
12:00,
4 Mai 1964
asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that general practitioners are being approached by a political party to supply lists of elderly and frail patients for the purpose of registering postal votes; and if he will take steps to stop them supplying such lists.
Mr Anthony Barber
, Doncaster
I have no knowledge of this.
Mr Kenneth Robinson
, St Pancras North
Perhaps I may enlighten the Minister. Has he seen the document published by the Conservative Central Office, entitled Post Votes, in which members of the party are invited to make contact with Conservative doctors and suggesting that they provide a list of elderly and frail patients? Does the Minister agree that it is proper that professional relationships within the Health Servive should be exploited for party political purposes in this way?
Mr Anthony Barber
, Doncaster
I had in fact no knowledge whatsoever of that particular document. Family doctors in the National Health Service are contracted to provide reasonable standards of medical care, but on ethical matters the medical profession, like any other profession, is self-governing. Any doctor approached in this way can decide for himself. I do not think it would be right for me either to compel or to forbid him to comply with any such request.
Mr Kenneth Robinson
, St Pancras North
If I give the right hon. Gentleman a photostat copy of this document, will he use his influence with the Conservative Central Office and get it withdrawn forthwith?
Mr Anthony Barber
, Doncaster
I will certainly look into the case of that particular document. All I am saying is that I do not think it is right to bring forward to the House of Commons an Amendment of the Regulations.
Mr Angus Maude
, Stratford-on-Avon
Is it not desirable that as many elderly and frail people as possible should be enabled to exercise their democratic right to vote at a General Election, without anybody wanting to put obstacles in their way?
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 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.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
In a general election, each constituency chooses an MP to represent it by process of election. The party who wins the most seats in parliament is in power, with its leader becoming Prime Minister and its Ministers/Shadow Ministers making up the new Cabinet. If no party has a majority, this is known as a hung Parliament. The next general election will take place on or before 3rd June 2010.
