Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland. – in the House of Commons at on 8 April 1941.
Mr Neil Maclean
, Glasgow Govan
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied that the district committees are fulfilling properly the duties for which they were appointed?
Mr. Johnston:
The hon. Member's Question, I take it, refers to agricultural executive committees. The vast Majority of these committees are energetically carrying out their duties in the public interest and with great benefit to food production. In a few instances, however, I am convinced that they could with advantage be strengthened, and steps have been and are being taken to that end.
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.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
