– in the House of Commons at on 6 March 1929.
Sir Basil Peto
, Barnstaple
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has been informed that Robert White, master of the steamship "Tritonia," and members of the crew, have been placed under arrest at Buenaventura, Colombia, pending investigation of the explosion that occurred on board that vessel; whether they have been since released, and whether he will take steps to see that they have legal assistance in the event of the Government of Colombia attaching responsibility to the captain or any of the crew for the results of the explosion?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSON:
I am in communication with His Majesty's Minister at Bogotá regarding this matter, but I have not yet received confirmation of the reported release of the master and crew. I understand that the owners of the ship have arranged that the captain and crew shall have the best legal assistance available.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
