Part of Oral Answers to Questions — National Finance – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 13 Ebrill 1948.
Mr Cyril Osborne
, Louth Borough
12:00,
13 Ebrill 1948
asked the Chancellor of the exchequer if, in view of the need for the facts of our economic position to be widely known, he will consult with the Minister of Education on the possibility of supplying ample copies of both Economic Surveys, 1948, to all senior schools and of explaining their contents in the senior forms.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
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.
