– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 15 June 1964.
Mr Albert Oram
, East Ham South
12:00,
15 June 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on recent developments in Anglo-German relations.
Mr Robert Mathew
, Honiton
Our relations with the Federal Republic of Germany are excellent. The recent announcement that Her Majesty The Queen intends to pay a State Visit next year has been warmly welcomed in the Federal Republic. A successful "British Week" was held in Düsseldorf at the end of May. An agreement providing for the compensation of British victims of Nazi persecution was signed on 9th June.
Mr Albert Oram
, East Ham South
The House will welcome the favourable developments to which the hon. Member has referred, but can he say what effect the speech of Herr Seebohm, to which my hon. Friend referred, has had on Anglo-German relations? What was the reaction of Her Majesty's Government to that speech? Was any protest delivered about its objectionable character?
Mr Robert Mathew
, Honiton
I should require notice of that question.
Mr William Warbey
, Ashfield
In such discussions and exchanges on the matter, will Her Majesty's Government suggest to the German Government that any participation in a multilateral nuclear force would be a breach of the spirit and intentions of the Paris Agreement and the Brussels Treaty, and would relieve us of our obligation to protect Germany against armed attack?
Mr Robert Mathew
, Honiton
No, Sir. Her Majesty's Government's position on the question of a mulilateral nuclear force and the non-dissemination of nuclear power has been made clear on a number of occasions.
Mr Stephen Swingler
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Do Her Majesty's Government agree with Chancellor Erhardt in repudiating the views of his Minister of Transport?
Mr Robert Mathew
, Honiton
This is surely a matter for the German Government.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
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.
