Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture. – in the House of Commons at on 8 February 1940.
Mr. De la Bère:
asked the Minister of Agriculture, in view of the admitted importance of maintaining the livestock population of this country, and since it is possible to keep a greater head of livestock on arable farms than on grass farms, whether he will make some provision to enable farmers operating arable farms to retain, if necessary, the whole of the cereals they obtain from their arable land for the maintenance of the livestock on their own farms?
Major Sir Albert Edmondson
, Banbury
A farmer is at present at liberty to retain for feeding to his own stock the whole of the cereals grown on his farm. In the case of wheat, however, he would, by so doing, have to forgo any deficiency payments to which he might otherwise be entitled under the Wheat Acts.
Mr. De la Bère:
Is my hon. and gallant Friend aware that this is not a question of deficiency payments, but that what is wanted is confidence by the farmer that the Government will ensure equitable distribution and confidence that supplies will be distributed in such a way that the milling combines will not be able to dominate the position?
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.
