Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Commerce – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 28 July 1959.
Miss Peggy Herbison
, Lanarkshire North
12:00,
28 July 1959
asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take to prepare sites and build factories to attract industrialists to the area near the steel strip mill at Gartcosh, Lanarkshire.
Mr John Rodgers
, Sevenoaks
As I told the hon. Lady on 9th June, I have made it known as widely as possible that in all suitable cases factories will be provided and applications for grants or loans considered for firms which will set up or expand in this area or anywhere in North Lanarkshire and we are continuing to seek out and encourage firms to go to these places.
Miss Peggy Herbison
, Lanarkshire North
Is the Minister aware that employment in this part of the steel strip mill will be only 50 per cent. of the men who were originally employed by this firm? Does not that make it all the more important that the Board of Trade, particularly, should be preparing beforehand so that there will be industrialists ready to take up the slack in labour?
Mr John Rodgers
, Sevenoaks
I greatly appreciate what the hon. Lady has said and we are doing our very best to steer firms there just now.
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.
