Oral Answers to Questions — Unemployment. – in the House of Commons at on 8 February 1940.
Mr Jack Lawson
, Chester-le-Street
asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any plans for the employment of the wholly unemployed on the register?
Mr Ernest Brown
, Leith
The prospective demands for additional labour in the present year are far in excess of the numbers likely to be available from among those registered as wholly unemployed, many of whom, as the hon. Member knows, are out of work for short periods and could not be used for meeting the new demands without serious prejudice to the class of work which they ordinarily follow. My problem, therefore, is not that of securing additional employment but of coordinating the prospective demands with the supply of labour, whether now employed or unemployed. For the solution of this problem the loyal and active cooperation of the representatives of workpeople and employers in the various industries is essential, and I am confident that such co-operation will be forthcoming.
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.
