Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Industry – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 July 1983.
Mr Paddy Ashdown
, Yeovil
12:00,
27 July 1983
While giving a cautious welcome to that answer, especially as it builds on a Liberal party initiative in the Finance Act 1978, may I make it clear to the Minister that the Liberal party believes that he could go much further on this matter? Does he agree that share ownership schemes have a value that extends well beyond being used as a carrot for the privatisation of nationalised industries? Does he also agree—[HON. MEMBERS: "Too long".]—that, given the success of the share ownership scheme, it is possible to 'provide greater incentives for firms that wish to take advantage of the scheme?
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.
