Part of Oral Answers to Questions — ST. Vincent – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 28 April 1964.
Mr Duncan Sandys
, Wandsworth Streatham
12:00,
28 April 1964
Under the Constitution the Administrator has the right to dissolve, after consultation with the Chief Minister. In a territory like this, which is in an advanced state of constitutional progress, it is desirable not to act contrary to the advice of Ministers if this can be avoided, and there are certain matters which are still being looked into in the territory. For the moment I am prepared to accept the judgment of the Administrator, in whom I have every confidence.
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.
