Oral Answers to Questions — Housing. – in the House of Commons am ar 12 Mawrth 1924.
Mr Walter Baker
, Bristol East
asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the issue of a statement of the average rents sanctioned by the Rents Tribunal for State-assisted houses in each of the principal towns and rural areas; and to what extent, in order to make it possible for them to be inhabited by the working classes, these have been reduced as wages have fallen?
Mr John Wheatley
, Glasgow Shettleston
Rents are decided by the Rents Tribunal only in cases in which a difference of opinion has arisen between the local authority and the Minister as to the sufficiency of the rents charged for houses erected under the 1919 assisted housing scheme. It is open to a local authority to refer their case again to the Tribunal, in respect of any later period, if necessity arises. I will forward the hon. Member a statement of the decisions of the Tribunal in a few days.
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.
