Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1947.
Captain Harry Crookshank
, Gainsborough
12:00,
11 February 1947
When the Minister says that no negotiations are in progress in Washington, I take it that he means that there are no negotiations going on anywhere at all in the United States?
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.
