Oral Answers to Questions — Japan – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 24 Chwefror 1947.
Mr John Paton
, Norwich
12:00,
24 Chwefror 1947
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the machinery by which policy is discussed and directives issued to Mr. McMahon Ball, the British Commonwealth representative on the Allied Council for Japan.
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
Instructions are issued to Mr. Ball on behalf of the Governments which he represents by the Australian Minister for External Affairs, who is responsible for co-ordinating their views. Mr. Ball also maintains consultation with persons designated by the Governments which he represents to act as his advisers in Tokyo. A member of the United Kingdom Liaison Mission acts as the United Kingdom adviser to Mr. Ball, and through this channel the latter is kept aware of His Majesty's Government's general policy on questions of the kind which come before the Council.
Sir Arthur Harvey
, Macclesfield
Is the Minister satisfied that the machinery now working is satisfactory to British interests?
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
Yes, Sir.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
