Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 24 Mawrth 1947.
Mr R.A. Butler
, Saffron Walden
12:00,
24 Mawrth 1947
Will the Minister send a copy of his answer to his colleague the President of the Board of Trade, since, in the Debate on the economic white paper, when I raised the possibility of buying further supplies of maize, doubt was cast upon the accuracy of my information?
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
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.
