Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Transport. – in the House of Commons at on 21 June 1939.
Mr Reginald Sorensen
, Leyton West
asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention had been drawn to a statement at a Leytonstone inquest on 1st June that the deceased had been driving a van for 17 hours, and the comment of the coroner that long hours might be a contributory cause of the suicide; whether, in view of the danger of drivers working excessive hours, he will make inquiries into this case; and what action he is taking to see that the law respecting hours of work for van-drivers is being observed?
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.
