Oral Answers to Questions — Police – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 15 Rhagfyr 1949.
Mr Emrys Hughes
, South Ayrshire
12:00,
15 Rhagfyr 1949
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the statements in the Oaksey Report, what steps he now proposes to take to provide new houses for the police.
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
The report has only just been published and police authorities have not yet had time to study it. I am however fully aware of the problems caused by the shortage of police housing both in London and elsewhere, and I propose to consult my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health at an early date to consider what further action can be taken in the light of the report.
Mr Emrys Hughes
, South Ayrshire
Could the Minister tell us, approximately, how many houses are required before the police can be said to be decently housed; if he is aware that 30,000 married quarters are to be built for the Armed Forces in the next few years; and if the police are going to get equal treatment?
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
We do not want 30,000.
Sir Norman Hulbert
, Stockport
Will the right hon. Gentleman get a little closer to his right hon. Friend right away, because until he gets the houses for the police he will never get recruits?
Mr Daniel Lipson
, Cheltenham
In his consultation with his right hon. Friend, will the Home Secretary consider whether it is practicable to give to police authorities a quota of houses for policemen above that assigned to the local authorities for the civilian population? The number cannot be great over the whole nation.
Mr James Ede
, South Shields
I am going to discuss the matter with my right hon. Friend.
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.
