Oral Answers to Questions — Royal Air Force. – in the House of Commons at on 24 January 1940.
Mr John Morgan
, Doncaster
asked the Secretary of State for Air what complaints he has received about losses of homing pigeons on service, due to their being shot down other than by enemy action and, in particular, from the Bircham Newton aerodrome authorities?
Sir Kingsley Wood
, Woolwich West
Two reports, one of which came from the Royal Air Force Station at Bircham Newton in November last, have been received of the shooting of pigeons on Royal Air Force service. The need for care to avoid shooting homing pigeons has already been emphasised in broadcasts and I am arranging for further publicity to be given to this matter.
Mr John Morgan
, Doncaster
Will the right hon. Gentleman suggest to his right hon. arid gallant Friend the Minister of Agriculture that when his Department is sending out fresh notices about the shooting of wood pigeons they should have a paragraph or two about this particular matter, because it is important at the present time?
Sir Kingsley Wood
, Woolwich West
Yes, Sir. I will gladly confer with my right hon. and gallant Friend.
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.
