Oral Answers to Questions — Housing. – in the House of Commons at on 30 July 1934.
Miss Eleanor Rathbone
, Combined English Universities
asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the importance of securing reliable information as to the extent to which the need for low-rented houses is being met, he will make arrangements that all returns to the Ministry of houses built or projected, whether by local authorities, public utility companies, or private enterprise shall, in future, include information as to whether the houses are intended to be sold or let and, if the latter, at what rents?
Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare
, Norwich
I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on the 27th instant to my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone (Mr. Bossom), of which I am sending her a copy.
Miss Eleanor Rathbone
, Combined English Universities
Is the hon. Member aware that owing to the lack of this kind of information local authorities are holding back from building houses without subsidy, when according to a recent reply, they could build at exceptionally low rates of interest?
Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare
, Norwich
I am not aware of that at all.
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.
