Oral Answers to Questions — Public Health. – in the House of Commons at on 24 July 1934.
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
asked the Minister of Health whether he can give any in- formation to the House in connection with the 100 people living in Lincolnshire villages who are suffering from an illness caused by some kind of food poisoning; and whether he has received any information from the hospital authorities about the matter?
Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare
, Norwich
My right hon. Friend has received reports from the district and county medical officers of health, who state that about 30 persons in the Welton rural district were affected but that all have now recovered. The cause of the outbreak has not been established but some pickled meat is suspected.
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
Will the Minister pursue the inquiries to see what the real cause of the illness was?
Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare
, Norwich
We have, and we have only a suspicion of the cause.
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.
