Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Housing. – in the House of Commons at on 2 May 1923.
Colonel Sir Walter De Frece
, Ashton-under-Lyne
asked the Minister of Health whether, between the Second Reading of the Housing (No 2) Bill and its consideration in detail in Committee, he is taking steps to obtain from the local authorities throughout the country their views upon the proposals of the Bill; if not, whether he will do so, and in that case supply members of the Committee with a careful analysis of what these views are, so that they may be guided by them in the detailed consideration of the Measure?
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
