Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture. – in the House of Commons at on 1 February 1940.
Mr. De la Bère:
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will confer with the Minister of Food with a view to securing an increased proportion of homegrown millable wheat, and also the wheat offals for feeding-stuffs for cattle, in as many inland centres as possible and as far removed as possible from the port mills; and will he consider, in connection with this, the restoration of derelict mills in the rural areas, or alternatively, building new mills in the rural areas, whichever should prove the most expeditious and least expensive?
Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith
, Petersfield
Without committing myself to acceptance of the proposals in the Question I shall be happy to confer with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food with regard to the milling of home grown wheat and the production of wheat offals in inland mills.
Sir Rupert De La Bere
, Evesham
Is my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that two years ago I introduced a Bill for the restoration of the mills to rural areas and that it would have prevented the milling combines buying up the mills and closing them? Are we never to get the truth? Are we to be referred by the President of the Board of Trade to the Minister of Food and then to the Minister of Agriculture? Why does not the Government tell the truth?
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.
