Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Environment – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 May 1988.
Mr Tony Banks
, Newham North West
12:00,
18 May 1988
How dare the Minister blame local authorities in London for the homelessness crisis? Is he aware that there are between 30,000 and 40,000 people in 600 bed-and-breakfast hotels in Greater London? It is absolutely insufferable for the Minister to stand there in his complacent fashion and blame someone else. Why do the Government not accept responsibility for the scandal and crisis of homelessness in London? Why does the Secretary of State not do something positive for once? Why does he not call together the leaders of all the local authorities in London, Tory and Labour alike, for a conference to try to find some way of working the problem out together?
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.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
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.
