Communities and Local Government written statement – made at on 22 November 2006.
Yvette Cooper
Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Housing and Planning)
Today, the Government are publishing the Thames Gateway Interim Plan. This is a statement of common purpose by the members of the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership, which I chair as Minister of Housing and Planning. The Interim Plan sets out the opportunities and priorities for delivery over the next few years including:
economic and employment opportunity in the key transformational locations—Canary Wharf, Ebbsfleet Valley, the Olympic site/Stratford City and the Gateway Ports cluster, and in the town centres, aiming to create the conditions for 180,000 new jobs; housing opportunity to accommodate the region's growing workforce and improve conditions for current residents in 160,000 well designed new homes; environmental opportunity through the creation of the Thames Gateway Parklands and new approaches to addressing climate change; and community opportunity through investment in education and training, better quality public services and support for inclusive communities.
Copies of the interim plan and supporting documents are being placed in the House Libraries. The final version of the plan will be published after the 2007 comprehensive spending review.
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.
