Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:29 pm on 10 November 1981.
Reverend Robert Bradford
, Belfast South
10:29,
10 November 1981
The subtle distinction is that the son or daughter would not insist that the parents part from their money. It would still be available for the old person in the family home. That is not so in a statutory home. The Minister has forgotten that under the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966 and the relevant supplementary benefit orders a statutory home is not assessable. That is the difference and the 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.
