– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 July 1947.
Mr Peter Freeman
, Newport (Monmouthshire/Gwent)
12:00,
31 July 1947
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will arrange for the registration and inspection of shops keeping pet animals, in view of the unsatisfactory conditions at present in operation in the Majority of cases.
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
In the Metropolitan police district attention is given to such shops by the police in the ordinary course of their duty. The Inspectors of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also visit such establishments. I have no information to show that there is a case for the measures suggested, but will gladly consider any information my hon. Friend may be able to send me.
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.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
