Women and Equalities – in the House of Commons at 9:30 am on 22 November 2012.
Huw Irranca-Davies
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9:30,
22 November 2012
What steps she is taking to ensure that the London 2012 Paralympic games leave a lasting legacy for disabled people across the UK.
Maria Miller
Minister for Women and Equalities, The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Paralympics were hugely successful. Now, we must ensure that we convert this success into an Olympic and Paralympic legacy that lasts beyond one great summer. The Government are working with Lord Coe so that the legacy programme delivers real and tangible benefits, including for disabled people.
Huw Irranca-Davies
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Paralympic games sent a tremendously positive message across wider society. Does the Minister regret, therefore, that the aim of achieving disability equality has been dropped by the Department for Work and Pensions? Is that not a completely contradictory message to send?
Maria Miller
Minister for Women and Equalities, The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
I know from personal experience that at the heart of everything the Department does is giving people an opportunity to play a full role in society and looking at people for what they can do, not what they cannot do. That is exactly what we should be doing to support disabled people into work.
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.
