Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Minister for Co-Ordination of Defence. – in the House of Commons at on 1 February 1940.
The peace-time duties of the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, as set out in paragraph 47 of the Statement Relating to Defence, presented to Parliament in March, 1936 (Cmd. 5107), were mainly concerned with the work of the Committee of Imperial Defence. In order to explain the Minister's present duties, it is therefore necessary first to explain certain important changes which were made on the outbreak of war, and to describe in broad outline the machinery set up for the supreme direction of the war.
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.
