Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:59 pm on 28 June 2005.
Viscount Tenby
Crossbench
2:59,
28 June 2005
My Lords, I declare an interest as an ex-chairman of a Bench, who has presided over the closure and amalgamation of courts. Would the Minister agree with me that there is greater sensitivity about the closure and amalgamation of such courts in thinly populated areas where local transport is almost non-existent? Would she further agree that inaccessible justice is often justice denied?
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.
