Oral Answers to Questions — Distressed Areas. – in the House of Commons at on 7 February 1929.
Mr George Lansbury
, Poplar Bow and Bromley
asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the conditions prevailing in certain mining areas of Durham and Northumberland; and whether, in view of the fact that similar conditions prevail in many other industrial areas, he will withdraw his order that out-door relief shall not be granted to able-bodied men and their dependants, and restore, for the time being and until some better means of assistance is found, the conditions which prevailed before the recent tightening up of his regulations?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Ladywood
The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I make full allowance for exceptional conditions where they prevail as well as for the physical difficulties of introducing task work when the number of applicants for relief is high, but I am convinced that, in the general interest, a return to the policy embodied in the Relief Regulation Order, 1911, ought, so far as possible, to be secured.
Mr George Lansbury
, Poplar Bow and Bromley
In arriving at that decision has the Minister of Health taken into account the amount of distress due to increasing unemployment during the past year?
Mr Morgan Jones
, Caerphilly
In view of the fact that in South Wales and elsewhere there are many thousands out of work, and that a large percentage of them are single young men, can the right hon. Gentleman not do something for them as they are not being given any relief at all under the regulations?
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.
