– in the House of Commons at on 31 January 1940.
Mr Ian Hannah
, Wolverhampton Bilston
asked the Prime Minister whether in view of Dr. Goebbels' official declaration that the Allies do not conceal that it is their goal to bring Germany down, to dismember and divide her as a nation, he will take further steps to make known to the German people, and the world in general, the reasons for our entry into the war and our peace aims?
Mr R.A. Butler
, Saffron Walden
The reasons for our entry into the war and the purposes for which we are fighting have been frequently stated by the Prime Minister and by other members of His Majesty's Government. I would refer my hon. Friend, in particular, to the Prime Minister's speech at the Mansion House on the 9th January and to a speech by my Noble Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, at Leeds on 20th January, which show that Dr. Goebbels' declaration is a fantastic and malicious invention which could only be put forward for home consumption.
Sir Patrick Hannon
, Birmingham Moseley
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information what is the extent and quality of the organisation which is operative in South America for the presentation of the war aims of Great Britain and her Allies to the various South American Republics?
Lieut-Colonel Sir Edward Grigg
, Altrincham
In eight of the 10 South American Republics, the Ministry of Information has Press Attaches, each of whom has a staff proportionate to the needs of his post, and whose function it is to see that the British case is effectively presented by all available means. They work under the general supervision of His Majesty's Diplomatic representatives. The amount of work to be done in the two remaining Republics, Paraguay and Ecuador, has not justified the appointment of full-time resident Press Attaches. The work in the former is done from Buenos Ayres, and that in the latter by an officer of rank below Press Attache.
Sir Patrick Hannon
, Birmingham Moseley
Is my hon. Friend keeping in mind the intensity of the propaganda which is being conducted in the interests of the enemy, and is he taking steps to advise our representatives in South America how important it is to counteract the efforts made by Germany in this respect?
Lieut-Colonel Sir Edward Grigg
, Altrincham
Yes, I can give my hon. Friend a complete assurance on that point.
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.
