Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 October 1969.
Mr John Hunt
, Bromley
12:00,
20 October 1969
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations have taken place between his Department and the dental profession regarding the payment of a weighting allowance for general practitioners in the Greater London Area.
Mr Richard Crossman
, Coventry East
None recently.
Mr John Hunt
, Bromley
Although the Minister is not at the moment directly involved, does not he agree that, in view of the exceptionally heavy expenses which are incurred by dentists in the London area, there is a very strong case for the payment of a special allowance along the lines of that paid to civil servants and members of other professions who work in London as opposed to other parts of the country?
Mr Richard Crossman
, Coventry East
As almost half the general dental practitioners in England and Wales practise in London and the home counties, I cannot believe that many find it financially disadvantageous to do so.
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.
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.
