The Secretary of State Was Asked – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 7 March 2017.
Owen Thompson
SNP Whip
12:00,
7 March 2017
What her policy is on the protection of human rights after the UK leaves the EU.
Oliver Heald
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
Human rights have been protected in the UK since long before our membership of the EU, and leaving the EU will not change that.
Owen Thompson
SNP Whip
What assurances can the Minister give that any future trade deal that is agreed by the UK Government and the EU during negotiations will contain a commitment to human rights?
Oliver Heald
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Joint Committee on Human Rights is looking at that issue. The Department for International Trade has given evidence on this, saying that it is constructing its approach to such agreements at the moment. This country has always been a strong supporter of human rights, and I cannot see that changing.
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.
