Oral Answers to Questions — British Army – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 4 Tachwedd 1947.
Mr Gilbert McAllister
, Rutherglen
12:00,
4 Tachwedd 1947
asked the Secretary of State for War, whether he will review his decision not to allow the squatters at the Old Dechmont Camp, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, to arrange with the Clyde Valley Electric Supply Co., Ltd., to renew the supply of electricity, as the Scottish Office assured the hon. Member for Rutherglen that if the War Office required the camp, Scottish Command would consult with the Department of Health about alternative accommodation as the squatters, in seeking to have the supply reconnected, were following the advice of the Minister of Fuel and Power in his letter to the hon. Member for Rutherglen, dated 15th July, 1947, and as conditions of living will be intolerable for them in the winter, especially for the many women, young children and infants, unless some means of heating the camp is available.
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
My hon. Friend will have received a letter dated 27th October, 1947, which fully covers the points he has raised in his Question.
Mr Gilbert McAllister
, Rutherglen
While not thanking the Secretary of State for his answer, may I ask him if he is aware that many of the inhabitants of this camp are miners, and will he consult with the Minister of Fuel and Power to see what the effect of living in cold freezing huts in the winter will be on the miners' output?
Mr Emanuel Shinwell
, Seaham
I have done my best in this matter. I really cannot do any more.
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.
