Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 13 February 1991.
Mr Merlyn Rees
, Leeds South and Morley
12:00,
13 February 1991
Does the Minister recall that during the previous war, when it was reported to the House that RAF air crew had been badly treated and, indeed, shot, a promise was made to do something about it after the war? After the war, it was decided conveniently to forget it. I hope that the Minister's words—a correct condemnation —will not be the end of the matter. It must never be forgotten that, when prisoners of war on any side are badly treated, somebody must be brought to justice.
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.
