– in the House of Commons at on 20 February 1940.
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made with the setting up of the court of inquiry into the conduct of the two military officers relating to Mr. C. K. Scott?
Hon. Oliver Stanley
, Westmorland
The court of inquiry has been constituted by the army Council and I will circulate the names in the Official Report. By agreement with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply, the terms of reference cover inquiry into the action of any military officer concerned in the matter whether employed under the War Office or the Ministry of Supply or otherwise.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
