Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 February 1954.
Mr Denys Bullard
, South West Norfolk
12:00,
18 February 1954
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has yet completed his review of the problem of maintaining the concrete roads laid down in the Fens by his Department during the war; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Thomas Dugdale
, Richmond (Yorks)
Some 41 miles of these concrete roads have been taken over by county councils. Responsibility for the maintenance of 71 miles has been placed on internal drainage boards and an order placing the responsibility for maintenance of the remaining nine miles on an internal drainage board will be made shortly. Nine miles of the roads have been abandoned. I am studying this problem, but have no further statement to make at present.
Mr Denys Bullard
, South West Norfolk
Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that, although responsibility has been placed on the internal drainage boards, it is often a very hard responsibility for them to bear and that meantime these roads are fast deteriorating, which will have a serious effect on food production unless something is done? Will my right hon. Friend consider this matter further and do something at the earliest possible moment?
Mr Thomas Dugdale
, Richmond (Yorks)
As I said, I am studying the problem.
Sir John Macleod
, Ross and Cromarty
Is the Minister aware that high freight charges are forcing more and more traffic on to these rural roads and that the 10 per cent. increases proposed will further deteriorate these roads? As the Minister is now in the Cabinet, will be bring this forcibly home to the Prime Minister?
Mr Thomas Dugdale
, Richmond (Yorks)
The Question deals only with the Fens.
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 cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
