Oral Answers to Questions — British Army. – in the House of Commons at on 12 December 1939.
Mr Walter Higgs
, Birmingham West
asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the conditions under which horses were being kept by the Scottish Horse Regiment, Dunkeld, Perthshire, last month; that nearly 700 horses were standing in the rain in a field fetlock-deep in mud beside a river; that they were covered with ordinary night rugs which had been soaked through for 11 days; that the horses were thin and weak; that they remained tied up for 22 hours out of the 24, and that they were unfit for military or other service due to constant exposure to rain; and has this state of affairs now been rectified?
Sir Victor Warrender
, Grantham
I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Yardley (Mr. Salt) on Thursday last. It has since been ascertained that the horse lines were frequently moved and the only available roadways used for standings. Covered accommodation has now been provided.
Mr Walter Higgs
, Birmingham West
Is the Minister aware that these questions were inspired by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and that, had a private individual been responsible, the society would have taken proceedings in this case?
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
