Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Transport – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1991.
Mr Ronnie Fearn
, Southport
12:00,
11 February 1991
At a time when rail transport, especially to the north of England, needs to be efficient, does the Minister agree that the lack of direct trains to the continent and the fact that none are presently planned harms tourism in the north and north-west? When he next meets the chairman of British Rail, will he ask whether a special train can go from either Liverpool or Preston direct to the continent?
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.
