Oral Answers to Questions — Ministry of Information. – in the House of Commons at on 10 December 1941.
Sir Charles Lyle
, Bournemouth
asked the Minister of Information whether he will see that the British Broadcasting Corporation com- mence their news bulletins with a reproduction of the actual news of the day and refrain from any comments or criticisms until the end of the bulletin, and that in reading the news the announcer shall abstain so far as possible from undue emphasis upon particular passages?
Mr Brendan Bracken
, Paddington North
The practice recommended by my hon. Friend is, generally speaking, the practice of the B.B.C. to-day. If the hon. Member has any special incident in mind to which he wishes to draw my attention, perhaps he will let me know.
Sir Charles Lyle
, Bournemouth
Does not my right hon. Friend agree that in the past there has been a most irritating amount of padding and detail in these broadcasts?
Mr Brendan Bracken
, Paddington North
I dare say, but I am sure that greater knowledge and experience will produce something more helpful.
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.
