Second Schedule.—(MINISTERIAL OFFICES.) (Hansard, 12 March 1957)

§ Mr. Simon

I beg to move, in page 18, to leave out line 16.

Perhaps it will be convenient to discuss the next five Amendments with this one, Sir Gordon, as they are all of the same drafting nature. These are six drafting Amendments to tidy up the Second Schedule and to correct the order in which Ministerial offices are listed there as to precedence and alphabetical order.

1070 When we removed in the title of the Minister of Fuel and Power, the words "Fuel and", we omitted, during the Committee stage, to notice that he thereby lost five places in the list. That deals with this Amendment and the next Amendment to line 21, and also with the Parliamentary Secretaries in the same case. The other two Amendments relate to the place of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, and, although Chief Whips are properly objects of general abhorrence, there is no reason really why the Chief Whip should be denied his proper precedence in this list.

§ Mr. Mitchison

To the alphabetical re-arrangement made by one of the Government changes in nomenclature I can have no objection. I think that the references to the Chief Whip were probably a little unfortunate. It is true that in the nature of the case channels, even usual channels, come at the bottom rather than at the top. Although in this case the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury has been moved up in the list, I regard that as a tribute to the important office he fills and, on the opposite side of the House, to the increasing activity which the right hon. Gentleman has to show in keeping right hon. and hon. Gentlemen in order. We do not need any such tribute on this side of the House. We remain in perfect order, without the need of anything of that kind, but, on the whole, I support this Amendment.