Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 November 1973.
Mr David Steel
, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire and Peeblesshire
12:00,
21 November 1973
While the right hon. Gentleman's statement may strengthen the Crown Agents, will he answer the question posed by the right hon. Member for Lanark (Mrs. Hart) about parliamentary answerability and the link between the Crown Agents' work and the Minister's rôle?
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.
