The House of CommonsThe chief officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by MPs to preside over the House. The Speaker has two main functions: first, he (or she) is the representative of the House in its relations with the Crown, the House of Lords and other authorities, and second, he presides over the House and enforces the observance of all rules which govern its conduct. The quality most essential to a Speaker is strict impartiality, and one of his most important duties is to protect the rights of minorities and ensure that their voices are heard. All members look to him for guidance in matters of procedure, and he decides points of order and gives rulings when required. The Speaker must be above party political controversy and must be seen to be completely impartial in all matters. Even after a Speaker has retired, he will take no part in political issues. The Speaker must keep himself apart from his party colleagues or any one group of interest. He does not, for instance, eat in the House of Commons dining room, and does not attend meetings of parties or other interest groups. The Commons elects its own Speaker – the usual practice being for the Government, after consultation with the Opposition, to put forward the name of an MP acceptable to all sections of the House, who is then proposed and seconded by members of the back benches. It has become a generally accepted principle that, once the Speaker has been elected in one Parliament, he is re-elected in subsequent Parliaments, and thus remains in office until he chooses to retire (or dies). The Speaker continues as an MP, dealing like any with constituents’ letters and problems. He does not, however, either speak or vote in the House, though in the event of a tied vote, the Speaker must give the casting vote, but only in accordance with the rule which precludes an expression of opinion on the merits of the question. When seeking re-election at the national polls, he remains aloof from party issues – standing as ‘the Speaker seeking re-election’. The Speaker presides over the House and in debate all speeches are addressed to him and he calls upon members to speak. In cases of grave and continuous disorder, he has power to adjourn the House or suspend the sitting. In cases of willful disobedience to his instructions by one MP or more, the Speaker can name him or them, which will result in their suspension – for a period – from the House. Voting in the House of Commons is carried out under the direction of the Speaker, whose duty it is to pronounce the final result. A vote is taken by means of a division (that is to say the separation into two lobbies of the members who wish to vote for or against a question). Members voting ‘Aye’ go out of the chamber into the lobby on the right of the Speaker, those voting ‘No’ pass into the lobby on his left. Votes are recorded by four clerks (whose records are later printed in the official Division Lists, and also recorded next day in Hansard) and four tellers (two MPs from each side of the House), of whom one for the ‘ayes’ and another for the ‘noes’ are placed in each lobby to check each other in the telling. A division in the Commons may take about ten minutes, and there may be two or three hundred divisions in a session. The voting procedure in the House of Lords is similar to that in the Commons except that the Speaker or chairman has an original, but no casting vote. Leaders of the Government and Opposition sit on the front benches on either side of the Commons chamber with their supporters – the backbenchers – sitting behind them. Similar arrangements for the parties also apply to the House of Lords, however, Lords who do not wish to be associated with any political party may sit on the ‘cross-benches’.
1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions. To hold the office continuously; authorities; to look for guidance; political controversy; to propose (the name of an MP); subsequent Parliaments; abuse of procedure; willful disobedience; suspension (of a member); division lists. 2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences. Головувати на засіданні; здійснювати повноваження; неупередженість; забезпечувати дотримання правил; процедурне питання; загальноприйнята практика; по суті питання; порушення прав меншості; тимчасово призупинити засідання; під керівництвом; оголосити результат (голосування). 3 Complete the sentences. 1. What are the functions of the Speaker? 2. What is the Speaker’s most important quality? 3. How is the Speaker elected? 4. Is it difficult for the Speaker to be re-elected? 5. What happens if the Speaker calls a member by his name? 6. What is a division? 7. What are the sitting arrangements in both Houses?
4 Translate into English paying attention to the active vocabulary. Лідери уряду і опозиції розташовуються на передніх лавах по обидва боки палати громад, позаду них знаходяться рядові члени парламенту.
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