Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 3 February 1947.
Mr Sidney Dye
, Norfolk South Western
12:00,
3 February 1947
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his pest officers have now been able to deal with the infestation of foxes in the Stanford battle-training area, which is driving the poultry farmers of that district out of business.
Mr Thomas Williams
, Don Valley
I am informed by the War Department that permission to enter the Stanford battle training area has just been given to the pest staff of the Norfolk War Agricultural Executive Committee, and energetic measures to reduce the foxes there will begin in a few days.
Mr Reginald Paget
, Northampton
Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that foxes, apart from eating chickens, eat rats, and that the extermination of foxes very often leads to a pest of rats?
Mr Sidney Dye
, Norfolk South Western
Is my right hon. Friend aware that we want the foxes to kill the rats, but do not want them to kill poultry?
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.
