Oral Answers to Questions — Economic Warfare. – in the House of Commons at on 20 February 1940.
Mr John Parker
, Romford
asked the Minister of Economic Warfare on what considerations it has been decided to remove from the statutory list the names of two banks, Scheel and Company, Tallin, and the Societa Bancara, Romania, Bucharest, both of which were placed on the statutory list at the beginning of the war, owing to the fact that they were controlled by German interests?
Sir Andrew Duncan
, City of London
I have been asked to reply. Under Sub-section (2) of Section 2 of the Trading with the Enemy Act, 1939, powers are conferred upon the Board of Trade whereby any person may be specified and be deemed to be, while so specified, an enemy: it is not in the public interest to give reasons for action taken under these powers in any particular case.
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.
