Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 24 November 1947.
Mr Barnett Janner
, Leicester West
12:00,
24 November 1947
asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the scale on which the stealing of poultry from farms is now being conducted; what information he has about the mode of operating of the thieves; and what special measures of protection are being taken.
Mr Thomas Williams
, Don Valley
I am aware that an increase in poultry stealing from farms has been reported, but I do not know on what scale it is now taking place, nor the methods adopted by the thieves. Apart from taking all practicable precautions themselves, any poultry keepers who have reason to believe that special measures of protection are necessary should approach the local police.
Mr William Brown
, Rugby
Would it not be better to remove the precedent for these operations initiated by a Chancellor of the exchequer?
Mr Tufton Beamish
, Lewes
Can the Minister say how many legs the thief has?
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.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
