Oral Answers to Questions — Ministry of Works – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 January 1959.
Sir Martin Lindsay
, Solihull
12:00,
20 January 1959
asked the Minister of Works why contractors were permitted to dig up the road in Hyde Park, opposite Albert Gate, for some hours on Monday, 5th January, thereby causing great inconvenience to motor traffic, instead of this work having been done on the previous day, Sunday, 4th January.
Mr Arthur Molson
, High Peak
A trench was dug across the road on the 16th and 17th December in connection with a traffic light scheme. The excavation was refilled but not resurfaced in order to allow the traffic to consolidate the foundation, as is the usual practice. Early on Monday, 5th January, it was noticed that the edges of the trench were beginning to crumble rapidly, and arrangements had accordingly to be made for the road to be resurfaced immediately as an emergency measure.
Sir Frank Medlicott
, Norfolk Central
Has my right hon. Friend's attention been drawn to the extraordinary time occupied in completing work at the junction of Whitehall into Trafalgar Square and at many other places in Central London? Can he inject a greater sense of urgency into the work of dealing with these road traffic problems?
Mr Arthur Molson
, High Peak
I do not think that that can arise out of the original Question.
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.
Whitehall is a wide road that runs through the heart of Westminster, starting at Trafalgar square and ending at Parliament. It is most often found in Hansard as a way of referring to the combined mass of central government departments, although many of them no longer have buildings on Whitehall itself.
