Oral Answers to Questions — Germany – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 3 Rhagfyr 1947.
Mr Fred Longden
, Birmingham Deritend
12:00,
3 Rhagfyr 1947
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what the objective is of the visit to Eritrea by the Commission appointed by the Foreign Ministers; is he satisfied that the forty-eight hours allotted for the task is sufficient; and if the findings of the Commission will be submitted to this House before any final decision is made.
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
The Commission is obeying the procedure laid down in the Italian Peace Treaty, which provides that a Commission should visit the ex-Italian Colonies in order to supply the Deputies of the Foreign Ministers with information to assist their consideration of the disposal of these territories, and in order to discover the views of the local population. A period of 40 days has been allotted to the Commission for their visit to Eritrea and I am advised that this will be sufficient. The answer to the last part of my hon. Friend's Question is, "No, Sir."
Mr Fred Longden
, Birmingham Deritend
Can the Minister say if and when Eritrea will be allowed to return to the Mother country, Ethiopia, or whether we must wait until there is a repetition of what is now happening in Somaliland?
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
That is a different question.
Mr John Hynd
, Sheffield, Attercliffe
On what grounds is Eritrea included in the category of ex-Italian colonies?
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
I should like notice of that question.
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.
