Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16 January 1997.
Mr Roy Beggs
, East Antrim
12:00,
16 January 1997
Is the Minister aware that jobs in my Constituency and throughout the United Kingdom could be put at risk by the proposed two-tier insurance rate of 17.5 per cent. and 4 per cent., granting special concession and privilege to the retail sector as against the rental sector, which services about 3 million in the less well-off sections of our community? Will he undertake to meet representatives of rental companies and hear from them how he can continue to achieve the same VAT revenue to the Exchequer while maintaining level competition between the two sectors?
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
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.
