– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 19 Ebrill 1948.
Mr Frederick Erroll
, Altrincham and Sale
12:00,
19 Ebrill 1948
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress he is making in his discussions with Guatemala concerning British Honduras.
Mr. McNeil:
No discussions are being or have been conducted with the Guatemalan Government though exchanges of views in official Notes have taken place. His Majesty's Government, however, are still anxious to reach a settlement of this dispute and are prepared carefully to consider any reasonable proposals.
Mr Frederick Erroll
, Altrincham and Sale
Is the position, then, that the British:Government are doing nothing until further representations are made?
Sir Edward Keeling
, Twickenham
Has the Minister of State any information about an impending telegram to Guatemala from hon. Members behind him?
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.
