Oral Answers to Questions — Coal Industry – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 23 Ionawr 1947.
Mr Henry Raikes
, Liverpool Wavertree
12:00,
23 Ionawr 1947
asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what reduction of coal output took place over the country as a whole, and specifically in South Wales, on 1st January last, as a result of the Vesting Day celebrations.
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
The Vesting Day celebrations were carefully arranged to avoid interference with production, and generally took place on the Sunday following the Vesting Day. In South Wales, brief celebrations took place at the pithead on Vesting Day itself, but these were fitted in with the change of shifts. I have no reason to believe that there was any loss of output in consequence of these celebrations, and, indeed, production over the country as a whole during the week was much higher than in the corresponding week of the previous year.
Mr Henry Raikes
, Liverpool Wavertree
Is it not a fact that, before 1st January, which was Vesting Day, in Yorkshire alone there was 50 per cent. absenteeism and 50,000 tons of coal were lost?
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
I do not accept the hon. Member's figures at all; indeed, I challenge them at once. What I do say is that it is quite understandable that there should be a little enthusiasm among miners when they came to the end of a very sordid chapter in the mining industry.
Lieut-Commander Joseph Braithwaite
, Holderness
Did the miners on this happy day display the same joy and enthusiasm as was reflected on the faces of Cabinet Ministers who were photographed on that day?
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
If it comes to any allegations against the faces of Cabinet Ministers, there are no oil paintings on the opposite side of the House.
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 cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
