Speaker of the House of Ministers
| Speaker of the House of Ministers | |
|---|---|
| Presidente da Câmara dos Ministros | |
Incumbent None Elected | |
| House of Ministers | |
| Style | Mr (Madam) Speaker |
| Abbreviation | Speaker of the House |
| Member of | House of Ministers |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of Wellmoore |
| Nominator | No fewer than 12 MPs, at least 3 of whom must be from different political parties |
| Appointer | The House of Ministers approved and sworn in by the Monarch |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure Typically Elected by the House of Ministers at the start of each parliament, and upon a vacancy |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Wellmoore |
| Formation | 14 March 2020 |
| Deputy | Deputy Speaker of the House of Ministers |
The Speaker of the House of Ministers is the chief officer and second highest authority of the House of Ministers, the lower house and primary chamber of His Majesty's Government of Wellmoore.
The Speaker is responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. In common with presiding officers in other parliamentary systems, speakers remain strictly non-partisan and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office and afterwards.
The Speaker does not take part in debate or vote (except to break ties; and even then, the convention is that the speaker casts the tie-breaking vote which results either in further debate or a vote for the status quo). Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions.
History
Early History
The Speaker of the House role was founded on 14 March 2020 along with the Kingdom of Wellmoore and HM's Government of Wellmoore.
Non-Partisanship
By convention the Speaker severs all ties with their political party while in office, as it is considered essential they be seen as an impartial presiding officer.
Seat in Parliament
The Speaker will customarily seek re-election at a general election (or if there is a voting/candidacy anomaly resulting in a by-election) not under a party label – being entitled to describe themselves on the ballot as "The Speaker seeking Re-Election".
Role
Presiding Officer
The Speaker's primary function is to preside over the House of Ministers. According to parliamentary rules, the Speaker is the second highest authority of the House of Ministers and has final say over how its business is conducted when the Prime Minister of Wellmoore is not in the House.
Whilst presiding, the speaker sits in a chair at the front of the House. Traditionally, members supporting the Government sit on his or her right, and those supporting the Opposition on his or her left.
Members direct their speeches not to the whole House, but to the speaker, using the words "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker". Members must refer to each other in the third person by the name of their constituency or their ministerial titles (not their names); they may not directly address anyone other than the speaker (who does call them by name). In order to remain neutral, the speaker generally refrains from making speeches, although there is nothing to prevent him or her from doing so.
During debate, the speaker is responsible for maintaining discipline and order,and rules on all points of order (objections made by members asserting that a rule of the House has been broken); the decisions may not be appealed. In addition, the speaker has other powers that may be used to maintain orderly debate. Usually, the speaker attempts to end a disruption, or "calls members to order", by loudly repeating "ORDER! ORDER!". If members do not follow instructions, the speaker may punish them by demanding that they leave the House for the remainder of the day's sitting. For grave disobedience, the speaker may "name" a member, by saying "I name [Mr/Mrs X]." (deliberately breaching the convention that members are only referred to by reference to their constituency, "The [Right] Honourable Member for [Y]"). The House may then vote to suspend the member "named" by the speaker, for five sitting days for a first offence. In case of "grave disorder", the speaker may immediately adjourn the entire sitting.