Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:52 pm on 12 March 2001.
Lord Eden of Winton
Conservative
2:52,
12 March 2001
My Lords, I congratulate the Government on their decision to place the LTTE on the list of proscribed organisations. Will the Government press ahead as quickly as possible and hold the required debate so that the necessary order can come into effect without delay? Is it not clear that there is diminishing sympathy for the terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka? Therefore, will the Minister pledge Her Majesty's Government to do everything possible--perhaps with the assistance of other Commonwealth countries--to support the Sri Lankan Government in their efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement? That settlement might include some form of devolved administration to meet the legitimate interests of the Tamils.
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.
