Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:01 pm on 1 July 1991.
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
10:01,
1 July 1991
It is not for me to give the Minister that sort of guidance. By way of general guidance, I suggest that if Departments give their Ministers a 15-minute speech, it may turn out to be a 30-minute speech, whereas a speech intended to last for 30 minutes may take longer. It is a question of self-discipline. If the speeches made by the Minister and by the hon. Member for Motherwell, North (Dr. Reid) had each lasted only 30 minutes, it would have been possible for other hon. Members to be heard.
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.
