Oral Answers to Questions — Naval and Military Pensions and Grants. – in the House of Commons at on 1 February 1940.
Mr. White:
asked the Minister of Health whether His Majesty's Government accept responsibility for the immediate necessities required by shipwrecked men and women landed on our coasts as the result of enemy action?
Mr Walter Elliot
, Glasgow Kelvingrove
Any medical treatment which such persons may require will be provided at the cost of the Exchequer through the Emergency Medical Service. The responsibility for seeing that such necessities as clothing, food and shelter are provided will rest in the first instance with the county or county borough council of the area in which the shipwrecked persons are landed, but they may in practice be provided from other sources. In the great Majority of cases expenditure so incurred by local authorities will be recoverable out of public funds.
Mr Walter Elliot
, Glasgow Kelvingrove
Oh, yes, reports have been received.
Mr George Buchanan
, Glasgow Gorbals
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the case of the shipwrecked men of the "Athenia," musicians, some of his own constituents, have made claims months and months ago and are still awaiting results? Cannot he take steps to see that something is done in this matter?
Mr Walter Elliot
, Glasgow Kelvingrove
I am obliged to the hon. Member for bringing the matter to my notice.
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.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
