Oral Answers to Questions — Wales – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 21 March 2007.
Madeleine Moon
Labour, Bridgend
11:30,
21 March 2007
What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on spending on defence bases in Wales.
Peter Hain
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Defence.
Madeleine Moon
Labour, Bridgend
The development of the St. Athan defence training establishment brings great potential to my Bridgend Constituency. Will my right hon. Friend agree to hold discussions with the First Minister to ensure that an appropriate skills base is developed at Bridgend college, so that such employment opportunities can be grabbed by my constituents? [Interruption.]
Peter Hain
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Secretary of State for Wales
Yes, I will happily do so. As a result of the excellent programme that Welsh Labour has drawn up for the next Assembly Government, new skills academies will provide key industries, including the St. Athan project, with access to excellence in training and learning. My hon. Friend can maximise the potential of local further education and training opportunities in her Constituency by working with the Welsh Assembly Government, and I am happy to help facilitate that. [Interruption.]
Michael Martin
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Order. I ask hon. Members to come to order. This is not fair to those who wish to participate in Wales questions.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
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
