Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 3:35 pm ar 22 Ionawr 1991.
Derek Conway
, Shrewsbury and Atcham
3:35,
22 Ionawr 1991
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The staff of the Admission order office, the Serjeant at Arms and his staff and the Chair are very helpful in enabling those constituents who have travelled far and have waited nine hours, to witness this House live from the side galleries. While we fully understand why those galleries have had to be closed as a result of the demonstration, is that not seen as a way of giving in to the sort of harpies who do that sort of thing?
Those of us who represent innocent visitors, such as the Shropshire Women's Institute, who do not go around throwing paint on hon. Members even if they are peace seekers, think that it is a great sadness that we are giving in to those who behave like that, while the right sort of visitors, who pay their taxes that we may sit here, are banned from watching us because of the restriction on the number of seats. Can this policy be a very brief one indeed?
The admission order office is responsible for allocating tickets for members of the public to watch the proceedings of the Commons from the Strangers' Gallery.
It is situated next to the central lobby in the Houses of Parliament.
Only a limited number of tickets are available.
Popular events - such as prime ministers questions - and topical debates often produce long queues of people outside Parliament waiting for tickets.
MPs are allocated a pair of tickets for Strangers' Gallery on a rota basis (every nine sitting days, excluding Fridays) which they can make available in advance to constituents who request them.
The Serjeant at Arms has two main areas of responsibility. First he has duties relating to the order and security of the House of Commons. He is responsible for maintaining order in the Chamber, Galleries, Committee Rooms and precincts of the House of Commons, and the control of access to them. By tradition the post is usually given to an ex-serviceman and the Serjeant at Arms is the only person in the House of Commons allowed to carry a sword. The Serjeant at Arms Department also has housekeeping duties which include the allocation and booking of accommodation for MPs, cleaning of the House and the supply of stationery, laundry and other stores. The office of Serjeant at Arms goes back to 1415 and the reign of Henry V when the Serjeant was responsible for carrying out the orders of the House of Commons, including making arrests. Today he performs several ceremonial duties that date back to the early days of the office. He carries the mace in the Speaker's Procession each day and also into the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament.
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.
