Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 October 1949.
Mr. De la Bère:
asked the Minister of Food why the Government have been buying pineapples in the Azores, which is a hard currency area; how many consignments are involved; what is the total quantity imported; and why they have not been purchased from Malaya, which is a soft currency area.
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.
