– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 July 1947.
Brigadier Ralph Rayner
, Totnes
12:00,
10 July 1947
asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the appeal which is being made to the textile industry to increase its hours of work in order to increase production is to be extended to the coalmining industry; and at what date and under what circumstances.
Mr Hugh Gaitskell
, Leeds South
The conditions and problems of the textile and coal mining industries are different. What is most urgently needed to increase production of coal is more regular attendance, the avoidance of unofficial disputes and higher output per manshift and I would refer the hon. Member to the statements which have been made by the Government, the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers on these matters.
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.
