Oral Answers to Questions — Mercantile Marine. – in the House of Commons at on 30 January 1940.
Mr. De la Bère:
asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the transport position throughout the country, he will consider setting up a Ministry of Railways?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
No, Sir. The transport position would not be assisted by divorcing the responsibility for railways from that for other forms of inland transport now centred in my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport.
Mr. De la Bère:
Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Ministry of Transport have not to-day sufficient time to give to the ever-increasing problems in connection with the railways, and is he further aware that the position of Lord Stamp as adviser to the Government must be in conflict with his position towards the stockholders of the L.M.S.; and when will the general public have some opportunity of having real consideration? Would it not be better to hand the job back to the Railway Boards, and let them get on with a job of which they have had knowledge for many years?
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.
