Oral Answers to Questions — Germany – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 19 March 1947.
Lieut-Colonel Dennis Boles
, Wells
12:00,
19 March 1947
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give particulars of the allowed costs of repatriation from the Rhineland to the United Kingdom via the Hamburg-Harwich and the Calais-Dover routes, respectively; whether these costs should include payment of rail fares from port of disembarkation to authorised destination; and if he will give an assurance that outstanding claims for 1946 will be settled forthwith.
The Minister of State (Mr. McNeil):
British subjects are repatriated to this country against their signed undertakings to repay the actual cost incurred. This varies in accordance with the circumstances and there is no fixed rate. Repatriation covers the journey to the port of disembarkation, and railway fares to the point of destination are not included.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
