Oral Answers to Questions — British Broadcasting Company. – in the House of Commons am ar 14 Gorffennaf 1925.
Mr Herbert Cayzer
, Portsmouth South
asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the hardship caused to old age pensioners by reason of their having to pay a fee of 3s. 7d. for a copy of their birth certificate in order to establish their claim; and whether he can embody a Clause in the Widows, Orphans, and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill now before Parliament to enable these pensioners to obtain a copy of their birth certificate free of charge or at some nominal fee?
Sir Kingsley Wood
, Woolwich West
My hon. and gallant Friend has been misinformed. Applicants for old age pensions are not required to produce their birth certificates in support of their claims: and any verification from the birth registers required by the pensions officer is furnished to him gratuitously by the General Register Office. The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
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.
