– in the House of Commons am 3:31 pm ar 25 Mehefin 1991.
Mr Tam Dalyell
, Linlithgow
3:31,
25 Mehefin 1991
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. To find any kind of precedent—even an inexact one—for what occurred last night we must go back to 11 December 1974, and the colourful days of Bob Mellish. You, Mr. Speaker, were an Opposition Whip then, so you will remember those days well.
This is a matter for the Chair, and I assure you, Mr. Speaker, that I intend no criticism of Mr. Deputy Speaker's decision to allow the closure of the business at half-past two in the morning. The point of order for you is this: do you, as Speaker of the House of Commons, have any right of objection on behalf of the House to refuse amendments that have been devised in the other place, as in this case on the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Bill, which might not have been accepted by the Table Office of the House of Commons because they alter the basic structure of the Bill, so that we have gone through Second Reading and the Committee stage of that Bill on the basis of a false prospectus? The House gave a Second Reading to a Bill very different from that amended by the House of Lords, which was before us last night.
Will you, Mr. Speaker, reflect for 24 hours on the issues involved, and, having done so, make a statement to the House tomorrow?
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
I do not think that I need do that. Although I was not present at 2.30 this morning, I have had the opportunity to discuss the matter with Mr. Deputy Speaker, who was in the Chair, so I am well aware what went on. The only reason I can rule out of order Lords amendments coming back to the House is if they have financial implications for the House of Commons which have not previously been provided for. Indeed, I shall be doing that later today.
Mr Timothy Devlin
, Stockton South
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. During the next 24 hours, while you are reflecting on that matter, perhaps you would also reflect on what your position will be if, at the beginning of tomorrow's debate on the European Community, a very large number of Members on both sides of the House rise to speak—and I fully expect that to be the case, given the discussions that I have had with my colleagues of late. Would it be within your power, Mr. Speaker, to mention to the authorities of the House and the usual channels that the debate is fundamental to the future of the House and to the conduct of the intergovernmental conferences, with a view, perhaps, to extending the debate over two days so that all those hon. Members who wish to speak—there may be 650 of them, for all I know—may have an opportunity to do so?
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
That is not a matter for me. If the hon. Gentleman spoke to his Chief Whip, he would probably get a better answer than I can give him. I am bound to say, however, that although I have not seen the full list of those who wish to participate in tomorrow's debate, I have seen a preliminary list and there are a great many names on it. It would certainly help the House greatly if we had more time.
Mr Harry Ewing
, Falkirk East
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I apologise, but I want to refer to the point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell). I am not quite sure what it is that you will be doing later today. You said that you would be ruling amendments out of order. There can be no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that the amendments accepted last night took the provisions of the Natural Heritage Bill (Scotland) outside the terms of the money resolution. There can be no ifs or buts about that. Is it those amendments that you will be ruling out of order today or if not, what will you be doing? I was not quite sure what you meant.
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
The hon. Gentleman is on to the right point. The amendments that I shall rule out of order today are those that go beyond the terms of the money resolution. The amendments selected yesterday did not go beyond the terms of the relevant money resolution, or they would not have been selected.
Stuart Bell
, Middlesbrough
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In relation to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Stockton, South (Mr. Devlin), can you confirm that, in accordance with the convention of the House, if a former Prime Minister—the right hon. Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher)—puts her name on the list of speakers in tomorrow's debate, she will have the privilege of being called early?
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
In making my selection, I have many difficult problems to consider, but it is, indeed, a convention of the House that former Prime Ministers are given some precedence in debate.
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.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
The House of Lords. When used in the House of Lords, this phrase refers to the House of Commons.
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
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 Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
The government chief whip, whose official title is parliamentary secretary to the Treasury, is appointed by the prime minister and is responsible to him.
The chief whip has to maintain party discipline and to try to ensure that members of the party vote with the government in important debates.
Along with the other party whips he or she looks after the day-to-day management of the government's business in Parliament.
The chief whip is a member of the Cabinet.
It is customary for both the government and the opposition chief whips not to take part in parliamentary debates.
The chief whip's official residence is Number 12 Downing Street.
