Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture. – in the House of Commons at on 9 December 1929.
Reverend Roderick Kedward
, Ashford
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his Department has any reliable information on the present cost of production of agricultural produce; and, if not, will he take steps to collect and classify such information and issue it in the form of a white paper?
Mr Noel Buxton
, Norfolk Northern
Investigations into the cost of production of agricultural produce are not made by my Department but by the Universities and Agricultural Colleges which receive grants from the Ministry. The results of such investigations are readily obtainable in the publications of these institutions. The titles of such publications can be obtained from the Ministry.
Reverend Roderick Kedward
, Ashford
Does the right hon. Gentleman get any report from the colleges to wham the gives grants?
Mr Noel Buxton
, Norfolk Northern
Yes. And the Ministry will gladly furnish information to those who desire it.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
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.
