Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture. – in the House of Commons am ar 16 Gorffennaf 1925.
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the National Organisation of the Insurance Clerical Staffs has approached the insurance companies requesting that a committee of inquiry be set up to consider the question of a Whitley Council for the insurance industry; can he state the present position of the negotiations; and if he will use his good offices to assist in a Whitley Council being set up for the insurance industry?
Sir Henry Betterton
, Rushcliffe
I assume that the hon. and gallant Member refers to the Guild of Insurance Officials. I am aware of the approach made by the guild to the companies, but I understand that this organisation is not fully representative of the employés of the companies. As the hon. and gallant Member is aware. Joint Industrial Councils can only be established by the voluntary agreement of organisations representing the Majority of employers and employed, and I do not think that at present there is any useful action that, I can take.
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.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
