Oral Answers to Questions — Public Health. – in the House of Commons at on 27 March 1929.
Sir Percy Harris
, Bethnal Green South West
asked the Minister of Health why he has refused to sanction the attendance of delegates from municipal councils to the forthcoming conference in Zurich of the Royal Institute of Public Health?
Sir Kingsley Wood
, Woolwich West
My right hon. Friend has given careful consideration to the application of the institute in this matter, and he does not feel satisfied that benefits commensurate with the considerable expense involved would be obtained by the attendance at the cost of the rates of delegates from local authorities at the conference.
Sir Percy Harris
, Bethnal Green South West
Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that this conference is of an international character, presided over by Lord Meston, and that it would look rather bad for England to be the only country that is not represented?
Sir Kingsley Wood
, Woolwich West
No, it is not a case of an international conference. It is a case of a British society holding its conference abroad—a very different matter.
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.
