Oral Answers to Questions — Ministry of Defence – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 22 June 1954.
Mr Charles Hale
, Oldham West
12:00,
22 June 1954
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the use of napalm bombs by British troops in time of war; and what stocks of these bombs are held by British forces at present.
Mr Nigel Birch
, Flintshire West
In the absence of any agreement prohibiting such weapons, Her Majesty's Government must reserve the right to use the napalm bomb. No stocks are held.
Mr Charles Hale
, Oldham West
I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary will appreciate that we are glad to hear the second part of that statement, but has he seen the accounts of the use of these bombs on the civilian population in Korea? Has he seen that its principal use is for jellied petrol to attach itself so firmly to the skin that the skin becomes like crackling and that the victim is normally blinded and loses the use of his limbs? Can the hon. Gentleman apply the same considerations to this bomb as we apply at the moment to the use of gin traps for rabbits?
Mr Nigel Birch
, Flintshire West
The results of all weapons of war are terrible.
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.
