Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 22 Ionawr 1964.
Mr Hector Hughes
, Aberdeen North
12:00,
22 Ionawr 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many air raid shelters built for and during the last war still remain in the City of Aberdeen; and what are his plans for their removal.
Lady Grant of Monymusk
, Aberdeen South
I understand that there are about 2,600 last war shelters left in the City of Aberdeen. Normally the removal of shelters at public expense is authorised only if they are structurally unsound, a danger to health or impeding approved development. However, in connection with the scheme for additional capital investment in development districts during this winter, my right hon. Friend has authorised the town council to remove before 31st March next some 500 shelters which do not come within any of these categories and whose potential value for civil defence is negligible.
Mr Hector Hughes
, Aberdeen North
Does the Minister realise that air raid shelters, which were a valuable protection in the last war, would be quite useless in conditions of any unhappy future war? Will she, therefore, take steps to have the remaining ones removed?
Lady Grant of Monymusk
, Aberdeen South
No, Sir, because some of the shelters are needed by some of the tenants or owner-occupiers for storage purposes. Some are still needed for civil defence purposes. To give general approval for the demolition of all the shelters would be far too costly.
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.
