Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Commerce – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 July 1947.
Mr Frederick Skinnard
, Harrow East
12:00,
10 July 1947
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the difficulty experienced by mothers of very young children in obtaining white fasteners for home-made clothing; and if he will take steps to increase the supply of these articles.
Sir Stafford Cripps
, Bristol East
Yes, Sir. The industry is, with my encouragement, increasing its capacity in order fully to meet the home demand, a large part of which was previously supplied by Germany.
Mr Frederick Skinnard
, Harrow East
Is the Minister aware that, although the mothers concerned are grateful for this stimulation of the manufacturers, they are complaining of the difficulty of obtaining such articles in the multiple stores where they have hitherto been obtainable?
Sir Stafford Cripps
, Bristol East
I was not aware of that particular point, but I will look into it.
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.
