Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:19 pm on 7 July 2009.
Ivan Lewis
Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
10:19,
7 July 2009
As the right hon. Gentleman knows, I am bound by matters to do with sub judice and the legal framework. Within those constraints, of course I will take responsibility for asking the fundamental questions that need to be asked before a judgment can be made. Of course it is the responsibility of a Minister to ask reasonable, responsible questions to get to the facts—
House adjourned without Question put (
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.
