Oral Answers to Questions — West Indies – in the House of Commons at on 10 March 1943.
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
asked the Minister of Supply whether he can give any information in connection with cotton bicycle tyres; whether he has received a report from the scientists of his Ministry about them; and whether the cotton tyres will be suitable for motor-cars?
Sir Andrew Duncan
, City of London
Tests of cotton bicycle tyres under road conditions are not yet complete. Motor car tyres made of cotton are also being investigated, but results so far are not promising.
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.
