BS: Maybe a strange question... (House of Commons)

Subject: BS: Question to UK mudcatters...
From: GUEST,IEB
Date: 03 Mar 03 - 02:28 PM

This may be a strange question but I visited the House of Commons the other day (as you do...no, I was just there as a interested tourist ;-)) and was listening to one of their sittings. There was a woman in the Speaker's chair (can't really describe her, but she had white hair and may have been in her 50s/60s). Now, I don't know that much about UK politics/the parliament but I thought I read somewhere that the Speaker was Michael Martin. Can someone tell me who that woman might have been? Was she maybe one of Mr Martin's deputies (I didn't find her in the list of MPs on the Commons homepage)?

Thanks for yr answers
Cheers, IEB

Subject: RE: BS: Maybe a strange question... (House of Commons)
From: vindelis
Date: 03 Mar 03 - 06:42 PM

I think the lady you saw could have been Mrs Sylvia Heal M.P.

The list below wass taken from www.politicallinks.co.uk

The Speaker Rt Hon Michael Martin MP
Principal Deputy Speaker Chairman of
Ways and Means Rt Hon Sir Alan Haselhurst MP KCB (Con)
First Deputy Chairman Mrs Sylvia Heal MP KCB (Lab)
Second Deputy Chairman Sir Michael Lord MP KCB (Con)

Subject: RE: BS: Maybe a strange question... (House of Commons)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Mar 03 - 08:15 PM

Here is a page with a picture of Sylvia Heal to settle the matter.