Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 26 Hydref 1949.
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
12:00,
26 Hydref 1949
I would have risen before if my mind had been completely clear on the issues at stake. I think I can state the position as I understand it. I suppose that there is no reason why the administration of human rights, or the existence of human rights in a certain country, should not be discussed by United Kingdom delegates on the Human Rights Commission. But at the same time I cannot help feeling that this question has been raised as a legal and procedural device for making an hysterical attack upon the American people and administration. Further, I would submit that whatever the legal position is, or is not, it is clearly impracticable for the future that a Minister should be put in the position of having to defend a matter which is clearly the internal affair of another country. Clearly, whatever the precise legal position, it is quite impracticable to carry it out.
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.
