Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Commerce. – in the House of Commons at on 20 February 1940.
Sir Andrew Duncan
, City of London
I appreciate the importance of maintaining at all times the competitive power of British industry in overseas markets. This is not being overlooked in the discussions that are now taking place in the National Joint Advisory Council, which is presided over by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour.
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.
