Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 10 September 2024.
Andrew Muir
Alliance
2:00,
10 September 2024
I met Minister Humphreys and Secretary General Mary Hurley on 22 July 2024 and had productive discussions on current issues, including the banning of XL bully dogs. My officials have also met their Republic of Ireland counterparts to discuss implementation processes and any potential cross-border issues. That engagement is ongoing. I am committed to working with Minister Humphreys and our counterpart not only on XL bully safeguards but on wider dog control issues and the promotion of dog ownership across this island.
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.
