Part of Oral Answers to Questions — National Finance – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1947.
Mr Hugh Dalton
, Bishop Auckland
12:00,
11 February 1947
Yes, Sir. The Middlesex County Council have offered to the Ministry of Works, for the permanent enlargement of Parliament Square, a site on the west side which they acquired in 1935. Contributions towards the cost incurred by the Middlesex County Council have been offered by the London County Council, the Westminster City Council, the Pilgrim Trust and the Chartered Surveyors Institution, and I am prepared to add, subject to the approval of Parliament, an Exchequer contribution of £100,000. This enlargement will make possible a great improvement in the layout of the roads in Parliament Square and will notably increase the beauty and dignity of the Square. In addition to the direct Exchequer contribution, there will be a 75 per cent. grant from the Minister of Transport towards the cost of the road improvement. I would like to express the Government's appreciation of the public spirit shown by the Middlesex County Council and by the other bodies who are making contributions.
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.
