Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 November 1947.
Baldwin:
asked the Minister of Food the cost of imported fruit, including-tinned, dried and fresh from the dollar area during the months of August, September, and October.
Mr Evelyn Strachey
, Dundee
The approximate f.o.b. cost of arrivals in the United Kingdom of tinned, dried and fresh fruits from the dollar area during the months of August, September and October was about £1,249,000. As the House knows we have, unfortunately, had to discontinue these purchases.
Mr. Baldwin:
Is the Minister aware that whilst this imported fruit was coming from the dollar area, the British fruit grower was having difficulty in selling plums for more than a penny a pound, and does he think that this is the way to encourage the Minister of Agriculture to get increased production from fruit growers?
Mr Evelyn Strachey
, Dundee
No, Sir, I could not disagree more with the hon. Member. We have had to discontinue these purchases, but I much regret that we have had to do so.
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.
