– in a Public Bill Committee at on 26 February 2002.
Desmond Turner
Labour, Brighton, Kemptown
10:30,
26 February 2002
I beg to move,
That, if proceedings on the Home Energy Conservation Bill are not concluded at this morning's sitting, the Committee do meet again this day at half-past Four o'clock.
I must crave your indulgence, I fear, Mr. Benton. I ask the Committee, in addition to agreeing to the sittings motion, to agree to adjourn our proceedings until 11.45 am, as the Minister has to be elsewhere to deal with unexpected difficulties.
Joe Benton
Labour, Bootle
May I point out that the appropriate technical word is ''suspend'', not ''adjourn''?
Desmond Turner
Labour, Brighton, Kemptown
I beg your pardon, Mr. Benton.
Mr Jonathan Sayeed
Conservative, Mid Bedfordshire
We accept that a Department that deals with flooding and foot and mouth, as well as fridges, needs its Ministers back in the office now and again. We do not oppose the sittings motion because we want time to discuss the entire Bill. We understand the Minister's difficulties and agree to the sittings motion and to the request for our sitting to be suspended.
Michael Meacher
Minister (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Environment)
I assure hon. Members that the request for an adjournment of the Committee until 11.45 am has nothing to do with BSE, foot and mouth or fridges—or, indeed, any other particular issue. However, the need for me to be elsewhere is pressing and I am grateful for the Committee's understanding. I look forward to making progress on the Bill at 11.45 am.
Question put and agreed to.
Sitting suspended.
On resuming—
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.
