It is illogical to describe the responsibilities of the Deputy Speaker without saying something about the post of Speaker. It should also be pointed out that the post of Chairman of Ways and Means pre-dates that of Deputy Speaker.
The job of Speaker emerged in the thirteenth century, but in a far different form from that which we know today. The Speaker was appointed by the King or Queen and so he was much more the Monarch's man than he was the spokesman of Members of Parliament. It was not until the seventeenth century, when the battle between King and Parliament reached a crescendo, that there was the first real sign of the King's authority being defied. In 1641 King Charles I tried to arrest five Members of Parliament, but was obstructed by Speaker Lenthall with words which have become famous:-"May it please your Majesty. I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak in this place, but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here, and I humbly beg your Majesty's pardon that I cannot give any other answer than this to what your Majesty is pleased to demand of me."
Some of Speaker Lenthall's successors were not made of such stern stuff and so the role of Speaker remained ambivalent. When it came to granting money to the King, who was still effectively the Government, the House, not trusting the Speaker, set up a committee of Ways and Means, and elected someone it could trust as Chairman. The first incumbent was Richard Hampden, and I am the sixty-third in line. The current practice of the Chairman of Ways and Means, not the Speaker, taking the Chair for the Budget Statement stems from this.

For a long time the Speaker had no official deputy. The Chair itself had originally been designed as a commode. However, as the House sat for longer periods, some people relieved the Speaker on an occasional basis. It was not until 1855 that the House resolved that there should be a formal post of First Deputy Chairman. The Chairman of Ways and Means was promptly appointed to it.
The business of the House has continued to become more demanding. In 1902 the post of First Deputy Chairman was created, and in 1971 a Second Deputy Chairman was appointed. The Chairman of Ways and Means and his Deputies are all referred to as Deputy Speaker, but in the strict sense of the 1855 Act there is only one Deputy Speaker, The Chairman of Ways and Means. There is no longer any Ways and Means Committee as such, but the title remains.
In a practical day-to-day sense the Deputy Speaker has all the same powers in the Chair as the Speaker. The only exceptions are carefully described in Standing Orders and relate to the selection of amendments.
The Speaker and his three Deputies act as a corporate team, meeting every day to discuss the handling of business before the House. It is likely that on every sitting day each one will occupy the Chair for at least a two-hour spell. To uphold the neutrality of the Chair they neither speak nor vote on any matter before the House (unless a casting vote is required). In recognition of the fact that they represent constituencies in the same way as other Members, the Deputy Speakers are relieved of duties one Friday and one Monday in three. Similarly, the Speaker on Fridays will usually spend no more time in the Chair than is required to conduct the formality of opening the proceedings.

The Chairman of Ways and Means has certain specific duties over and above deputising for the Speaker, and Chairing debates. He has responsibility for all Private Bills (not Private Members' Bills) which come before the House. He is effectively Chairman of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen. There are customarily around two dozen senior Members appointed to the Panel and their job is to Chair Standing Committees of the House. They meet collectively to advise on matters of procedure that may have arisen in the course of their duties.
The Chairman of Ways and Means acts as Chairman of the Court of Referees and Chairman of the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit Ltd.. He is also a trustee of the History of Parliament Trust.
When the House sits as a Committee of the whole House, as when Bills of a constitutional nature are being discussed, responsibility stops with the Chairman of Ways and Means. He has ultimate responsibility for the selection of amendments, a power, which in all other circumstances, lies with the Speaker.

It is sometimes asked if a constituency is effectively represented in Parliament if its Member is Speaker or Deputy Speaker and they cannot speak or vote.
This question pre-supposes that the only way in which representation can take place is by speaking or voting. This is simply not the case. An M.P. may get 100 or 200 letters per week from constituents. The average M.P. would be lucky to speak in the House more than eight times a year. So it is obvious that a Member looks after the interests of his/her constituents mainly in other ways. These other ways principally involve writing to Ministers, taking delegations to see them, and the 'quiet word' in the lobby. Being Speaker or Deputy Speaker enhances rather than diminishes these functions, because Ministers recognize the special position held.
Of course, it is not only the Speaker and the Deputies who cannot raise constituency matters on the floor of the House. The same is true of the eighty or so M.P.s, who from time to time are members of the Government. They can speak in the House only on behalf of the Government, not their constituents. However, people may be sure that, if the Prime Minister has a problem over a road in his constituency, his letter will get a pretty helpful (and quick) response from the Transport Minister.
Whereas the Speaker becomes, on election, wholly independent of party politics, his Deputies are not so constrained. Whilst they must act with scrupulous neutrality in the House they are free to be party politicians in their constituencies.

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last updated June, 2005