– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 12 Tachwedd 1964.
Mr George Lawson
, Motherwell
I beg to move, That this House do now adjourn.
Dr Horace King
, Southampton, Itchen
Finance Bill (Procedure).
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy-Speaker. Did you not clearly hear the Adjournment moved by the Government Whip? Ought not that Question to be proposed and the normal Adjournment procedure to be followed?
Dr Horace King
, Southampton, Itchen
I did not call upon the hon. Member for Motherwell (Mr. Lawson) to move the Adjournment.
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
Further to that point of order. Surely it is not customary for Mr. Speaker or Mr. Deputy-Speaker to call anyone to move the Adjournment. It is the custom for the Government Whip to rise to move the Adjournment, whereupon the Motion is accepted by the Chair. In this case he was clearly heard to move it. He rose and moved the Adjournment.
Dr Horace King
, Southampton, Itchen
The House has passed the Business of the House Motion to enable it to proceed to the second Motion on Finance Bill (Procedure). I was about to call the Chancellor of the exchequer, and was in the process of doing so, when I was interrupted. I must rule that we must get on with the business.
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
With great respect, Mr. Deputy-Speaker, before you started to read the Motion to which you have just referred, the Adjournment was moved by the Government Whip. I am certain that if confirmation were wanted by the House he would confirm that he rose and moved the Adjournment. In that case, ought you not either to accept it or to ask the hon. Member to withdraw his Motion?
Mr Jack Diamond
, Gloucester
Further to that point of order. Perhaps I may offer an explanation which the right hon. Gentleman will find acceptable. It is my responsibility to deal with the Motion which is about to come before the House and I asked my hon. Friend the Government Whip at which stage this would occur. He whispered certain words to me which indicated when this Motion would be put, and I imagine that the right hon. Gentleman overheard words which were merely the usual front bench exchanges.
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
Further to that point of order. I assure the Chief Secretary that I overheard nothing which he may have said to his hon. Friend. What I clearly heard was the Government Whip move the Adjournment.
Dr Horace King
, Southampton, Itchen
I hope that the House will he reasonable and will let us proceed with the business which is on the Order Paper.
Sir Douglas Glover
, Ormskirk
Further to that point or order. It was in the hearing of the House, of dozens of hon. Members, that the Government Whip moved the Adjournment—although he may regret that he did so. Surely it is the procedure of the House that, the Adjournment having been moved, we cannot go back on previous business. I am sure that if the Government Whip is allowed to come to the Box he will admit that he moved the Adjournment of the House.
Dr Horace King
, Southampton, Itchen
I hope that we can proceed with the business of the House.
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.
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.
The first bench on either side of the House of Commons, reserved for ministers and leaders of the principal political parties.
The order paper is issued daily and lists the business which will be dealt with during that day's sitting of the House of Commons.
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
An adjournment is a break in the course of parliamentary business.
The House adjourns at the end of each day's business.
On a daily basis the House adjourns, or breaks, half an hour after the moving of the adjournment debate.
The House is also adjourned for several holiday periods during the session.
The more lengthy adjournments - often coinciding with the academic calendar - are known as recesses.
