The Speaker of the House of Commons

The House of Commons is the centre of parliamentary power. It is directly responsible to the electorate, and from the 20^th century the House of Lords has recognized the supremacy of the elected chamber.

The House of Commons is traditionally regarded as the lower house, but it is the main parliamentary arena for political battle. A Government can only remain in office for as long as it has the support of a majority in the House of Commons.

New legislation usually starts in this House which has primacy over the non-elected House of Lords. ‘Money bills’, concerned solely with taxation and public expenditure, are always introduced in the Commons and must be passed by the Lords promptly and without amendment. When the two houses disagree on a non-money bill, the elected chamber prevails.

A Member of Parliament (MP) is elected by a particular area or constituency in Britain to represent them in the House of Commons. At present there are 646 Members of Parliament in the House.

MPs have many duties that involve them in different activities. A lot of MPs’ work has nothing to do with voting in Parliament. There are hundreds of things MPs have to deal with in the day-to-day business of constituency life, such as housing or health care. MPs are there to help people and to try to make sure their rights under the law are not violated. Some MPs hold an advice bureau in their constituencies, where people can go for help and recommendation. Anyone who feels that he has been unfairly treated by the central government can complain to their local MP who will do his best to see that the problem is solved.

Members of Parliament have been paid salaries since 1911. The rate has lately been nearly twice the average industrial worker’s wages. The allowances for travel, living in London, and paying part0time secretaries and research assistants are being gradually increased. Still many MPs insist that they need to have outside earnings, through journalism, work in the law courts or business, to enable them to live up to the standard they expect.

The presiding officer in the House of Commons is the Speaker, an MP who has been elected to act as chairman during debates. He 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 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. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. Even after retirement a former Speaker shall not take part in political issues.

TASK2. Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following key words and expressions:

1. поправка (к законопроекту)
2. выборная палата
3. избиратели
4. избирательный округ
5. общественное здравоохранение
6. жилищное строительство
7. финансовые законопроекты
8. председатель, председательствующее лицо
9. законные права
10. поддержка большинства
11. налогообложение
12. быть беспристрастным
13. вносить законопроект
14. принять законопроект
15. защищать интересы меньшинства
16. оставаться у власти
17. принимать участие в политических процессах/заниматься политикой (2)
18. нарушать права

TASK 3. Use the key expressions from the text to answer the following questions:

1. Why is the House of Commons called “the elected chamber’?
2. In what way is the government dependent on the lower chamber?
3. What are the legislative powers of the Commons?
4. how are MPs elected?
5. How are MPs’ duties divided between their constituency and their work in the House?
6. What expenses incurred by MPs are covered by their salaries? Why are MPs dissatisfied with their remuneration?
7. What are the Speaker’s duties?
8. Why should a Speaker be above party politics?
9. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?

TASK 4. Read the text below and draw up a diagram illustrating the location of the members of the House of Commons. Be ready to comment on your drawing.