– in the House of Commons at on 8 February 1940.
Mr Thomas Levy
, Elland
asked the Minister of Labour how many women are likely to be absorbed into war industries during the next six months; whether they will be employed mainly or entirely on unskilled work; and whether they will be paid the same wage rates as men engaged on similar work?
Mr Ernest Brown
, Leith
I cannot give any precise figure for the number of women likely to be absorbed during the next six months in war industries. Many of them will be returning to work of which they have had previous experience but for the most part they will necessarily be unskilled at the outset. The rates of wages will be governed as is customary by the relative industrial agreements.
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.
