Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 25 October 2005.
Peter Lilley
Conservative, Hitchin and Harpenden
2:30,
25 October 2005
On the notional transfer of resources to front-line services, can the Minister tell us how many primary care trusts, as a result of the new centrally imposed GP contract, will increase payments to GPs in the coming year by between £20,000 and £25,000 each compared with last year, and how many consultants, as a result of the new consultant contract, will earn more than £20,000 more this year than last year? Was that the intention of either contract and is that the best use of money in the national health service?
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.
