– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 18 Rhagfyr 1973.
John Horam
, Gateshead West
12:00,
18 Rhagfyr 1973
Q7.
Mr Norman Lamont
, Kingston upon Thames
Q22.
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
Yes, Sir.
John Horam
, Gateshead West
In that speech the Chancellor of the exchequer blamed our economic problems on sectional interests. Yesterday, however, in reply to a question by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Aberavon (Mr. John Morris), he said that the measures that he then announced would have been necessary even if the industrial disputes were ended tomorrow. Does not that again show that it is not the miners who are to blame for troubles, but the three-year record of the Chancellor, who has produced a badly unbalanced economy and a social atmosphere in which conciliation, moderation and restraint are virtually impossible?
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
The hon. Gentleman has reached the wrong conclusion. I announced measures last Thursday which were required by the situation arising from industrial disputes. I shall be discussing those again later in the debate today. Obviously, if the industrial disputes come to an end, those measures can be changed.
Mr Robert Adley
, Bristol North East
Is my right hon. Friend aware that, far from openly and provocatively blaming too much the sectional interests to which reference has been made, many people feel that he has been over-modest in assigning blame to certain members of the executive of the National Union of Mineworkers?
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
My hon. Friend is quite correct. A great deal of time and energy has been spent, particularly in the last 18 months, in the very long and detailed discussions that we had—I believe, rightly. I shall say something later on that matter in the debate.
Mr Tony Benn
, Bristol South East
As the Government announced their measures last Thursday without any consultation with either the CBI or the TUC, will the right hon. Gentleman now make available to them and to the public the true position on distributed coal stocks so that we can assess whether these measures were really necessary or were part of psychological warfare against the miners by the Prime Minister?
Mr Edward Heath
, Bexley
I shall deal with that matter in the debate later today.
Mr Selwyn Lloyd
, Wirral
Mr. Biggs-Davison, to raise a point of order.
Mr John Biggs-Davison
, Chigwell
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As all the supplementary questions on the Question to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister about population, from both sides of the House, were in one direction, I beg to give notice, without any criticism of the Prime Minister, that owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply I shall seek an early opportunity to raise the matter on the Adjournment.
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
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 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.
