<P> At the beginning of each new parliamentary term , the House of Commons elects one of its members as a presiding officer , known as the Speaker . If the incumbent Speaker seeks a new term , then the House may re-elect him or her merely by passing a motion ; otherwise , a secret ballot is held . A Speaker - elect can not take office until he or she has been approved by the Sovereign ; the granting of the royal approbation , however , is a formality . The Speaker is assisted by three Deputy Speakers , the most senior of whom holds the title of Chairman of Ways and Means . The two other Deputy Speakers are known as the First and Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means . These titles derive from the Committee of Ways and Means , a body over which the chairman once used to preside ; even though the Committee was abolished in 1967 , the traditional titles of the Deputy Speakers are still retained . The Speaker and the Deputy Speakers are always members of the House of Commons . </P>
<P> At the beginning of each new parliamentary term , the House of Commons elects one of its members as a presiding officer , known as the Speaker . If the incumbent Speaker seeks a new term , then the House may re-elect him or her merely by passing a motion ; otherwise , a secret ballot is held . A Speaker - elect can not take office until he or she has been approved by the Sovereign ; the granting of the royal approbation , however , is a formality . The Speaker is assisted by three Deputy Speakers , the most senior of whom holds the title of Chairman of Ways and Means . The two other Deputy Speakers are known as the First and Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means . These titles derive from the Committee of Ways and Means , a body over which the chairman once used to preside ; even though the Committee was abolished in 1967 , the traditional titles of the Deputy Speakers are still retained . The Speaker and the Deputy Speakers are always members of the House of Commons . </P>
who oversees proceedings in the house of commons
who oversees proceedings in the house of commons
the Speaker
the Speaker