Oral Answers to Questions — Housing – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 October 1969.
Mr John Boyd-Carpenter
, Kingston upon Thames
12:00,
14 October 1969
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he now proposes to seek powers after the end of the present calendar year to interfere with the rents fixed by local authorities for their residential properties; and what form he proposes these powers should take.
Mr Anthony Greenwood
, Rossendale
This issue is still under consideration but, as my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State said in the Budget debate, restraint in the growth of rents continues to be an integral part of the prices and incomes policy.
Mr John Boyd-Carpenter
, Kingston upon Thames
As over a month ago the right hon. Gentleman was trying to bully local authorities into acquiescence with the terms of the proposed white paper, is it not time that he took the House of Commons into his confidence?
Mr Anthony Greenwood
, Rossendale
We have been having discussions with local authorities as to the best way of implementing the principles laid down by my right hon. Friend. The best thing to do is to await the outcome of those discussions and proposals for any legislative improvements which may be necessary.
Mr James Wellbeloved
, Erith and Crayford
Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that many hon. Members on this side of the House attach great importance to protection being given to council tenants from the vicious vendetta which Conservative councils are now waging against this class of people?
Mr Anthony Greenwood
, Rossendale
It is the Government's view that it is very important to prevent any unnecessary increases, particularly at a time of economic difficulty.
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.
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 House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
