Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16 January 1997.
Alan Milburn
, Darlington
12:00,
16 January 1997
Will the hon. Lady confirm that earlier today the Chancellor described the loss of jobs in the north-west at Ford's Halewood plant as a case of
You can't win them all"?
How can she defend such complacency when the loss of quality manufacturing employment is such a devastating blow, not only to the north-west but to the whole British economy?
Instead of sitting back and doing nothing, will the Minister agree to make a statement to the House on the impact of those job losses on the people of the north-west and the economy of that region?
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
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.
