Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 11:17 am on 11 September 2025.
Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip), The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
11:17,
11 September 2025
The noble Earl outlines the range of issues that the Government need to work through. There is action; it is a high priority for this Government, and it was a manifesto commitment to address these issues. The Prime Minister mentioned it as top of the list in relation to the EU reset to the Liaison Committee, and it came up in the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week. This is something that Ministers are actively working through, and I know that it is a priority for the new DCMS Minister covering this area and for the Secretary of State.
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.
