Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Unemployment. – in the House of Commons at on 8 March 1939.
Mr Alan Lennox-Boyd
, Mid Bedfordshire
In the County Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull on 7th October last, which is the only date for which such figures are available in respect of the local-authority area, approximately 5,750 persons were in receipt of unemployment assistance. As regards the remainder of the question, I am informed by my right hon. friend the Minister of Health that 734 persons ceased to receive public assistance on 1st April, 1937, in consequence of the grant of unemployment assistance; but information is not available, on a local-authority area basis, to enable me to say how many persons who applied for unemployment assistance were found to be outside the scope of the Unemployment Assistance Act. During the months of April and October, 1938, the average numbers of unemployed persons registering at employment exchanges who were in receipt of out-relief on account of unemployment were 410 and 406 respectively.
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.
