Oral Answers to Questions — Naval and Military Pensions and Grants. – in the House of Commons at on 1 February 1940.
Mr Thomas Kennedy
, Kirkcaldy District of Burghs
asked the Minister of Pensions whether it is intended that in cases where serving soldiers' wives have been receiving a special children's allowance the special grant should now be automatically reduced by the amount of the increase in the new rates?
Mr Walter Womersley
, Grimsby
As the grants recommended by the War Service Grants Advisory Committee are based on the fact that the family was suffering serious hardship, and as that hardship is mitigated, in cases where there are children in the home, by the increase in payments made by the Service Departments, the grants recommended by the Committee must necessarily be adjusted on that account.
Mr Thomas Kennedy
, Kirkcaldy District of Burghs
Is not this rather a mean committee?
Mr Walter Womersley
, Grimsby
I should not describe it as anything of the kind. We are dealing with hardship cases and we are dealing with them on fair and square lines.
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.
