Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 15 September 1939.
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
Has the Minister any power to regulate supplies because he will be aware that many thousands of people have fish and potatoes for lunch and supper, and if he will see that the fish fryers get their share we shall be much obliged?
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.
