Oral Answers to Questions — Housing – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 October 1969.
Mr Gwilym Roberts
, Bedfordshire South
12:00,
14 October 1969
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, in view of the fact that local authorities have not developed adequate housing programmes and in view of the lack of overall planning in private housing, he will introduce legislation to set up a national housing corporation with overall responsibility for public and private housing and to determine public and private housing targets for local authorities.
Mr Reginald Freeson
, Willesden East
There is a good case to be examined for setting up a national housing development agency, but the important thing for the present is for local authorities to be urged to maintain their programmes.
Mr Gwilym Roberts
, Bedfordshire South
Does not my hon. Friend agree, however, that housing, as a national problem, requires a national solution and that the attitude of some of the Tory-controlled local authorities is one of trying to sabotage the Government's efforts in this field? Does he not agree that it is high time that the Government got tough with some of these slow housing authorities?
Mr Reginald Freeson
, Willesden East
I agree that there has been a lamentable cutting back of the housing programme by some local authorities in recent times, and this is a matter which my right hon. Friend may be pursuing with local authorities. The question of a housing agency, such as my hon. Friend suggests, is one which we can consider further.
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.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
