– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 November 1947.
Sub-Lieutenant Herschel Austin
, Stretford
12:00,
27 November 1947
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider making provision for the exclusion of juveniles under 16 years from greyhound-racing tracks.
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
No, Sir.
Sub-Lieutenant Herschel Austin
, Stretford
Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the atmosphere of a greyhound-racing track is conducive to the well-being and the proper upbringing of children, and will he take the opportunity of visiting a greyhound-racing track to see the number of children there on a Saturday afternoon or evening?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
No, Sir. I do not think that a greyhound-racing track is a very desirable place for a young person under 16, and I would not like to encourage them to go by setting them the example.
Sub-Lieutenant Herschel Austin
, Stretford
If the Minister thinks it necessary to impose a sanction against children going to public houses, why does he not impose a similar sanction against children going to places with an undesirable atmosphere, like that of a greyhound-racing track?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
I am informed by the police that, as a matter of fact, the number of children who go is very small. This matter will have to be considered in the near future but, at the moment, I can hold out no hope of legislation on this subject.
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.
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.
