Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Environment – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 23 July 1986.
Mr Alfred Dubs
, Battersea
12:00,
23 July 1986
Does the Minister accept that there is a real crisis of homelessness, especially in the London area? According to Shelter figures, which are better than his Department's, there are 4,400 homeless families in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in London. That is an increase of 16 per cent. in three months. Over a year the cost to local authorities in London has doubled from £13 million to £26 million. Keeping families with young children in bed-and-breakfast accommodation is humiliating and degrading and ought to be brought to an end immediately.
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.
