Oral Answers to Questions — Ministry of Supply. – in the House of Commons at on 19 June 1941.
Reverend Dr James Little
, Down
asked the Minister of Supply whether he has had the promised further samples of iron ore taken from the mine in County Down; whether these samples have been tested; and with what result?
Mr Harold Macmillan
, Stockton-on-Tees
I am sorry that I am not yet in a position to add to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on 8th May. Recent reports from Northern Ireland are that conditions are still unsuitable for sampling.
Reverend Dr James Little
, Down
Was not a promise made that once the earth dried up this matter would be attended to, and is my hon. Friend aware that they have found dry ground now and that everything is ready; and will he promise that this will be attended to at the earliest possible moment?
Mr Harold Macmillan
, Stockton-on-Tees
We are in close touch with the Ministry of Commerce in Northern Ireland, and they are advising us of the right moment at which to lake these samples.
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.
