– in the House of Commons at on 9 March 1939.
Mr Rhys Davies
, Westhoughton
asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the Mossley Woolcombing and Spinning Company, Limited, Lancashire, have recently posted a notice informing their employes that the working week will in future be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with one hour's break for meals, which, including a half-day's work on Saturday, will total a 61–hour working week net, and that there is no promise that overtime rates will apply in respect of any of those hours; and whether he will take action in the matter?
Mr Ernest Brown
, Leith
I am not aware of the position as stated in the question, but I will inquire into the matter.
Mr Rhys Davies
, Westhoughton
If the right hon. Gentleman finds that the facts are as stated in the question—he need not shake his head; I can tell the truth as well as he can— will he inquire also whether there is not a stipulation that when foreign employe's come here they are not supposed to degrade British labour standards?
Mr Ernest Brown
, Leith
I was not shaking my head to cast doubt on the truth of the hon. Member's statement but because of the hypothetical character of the question. He began with an "If." I prefer to await the result of inquiries.
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.
