Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 22 Ionawr 1964.
Mr Arthur Woodburn
, Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
12:00,
22 Ionawr 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that Glasgow recently was relatively clear of fog in the smokeless zone area but handicapped beyond it; and if he will make a statement on the benefits derived from this smokeless zone since its inception.
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
Yes, Sir. I am glad that the results appear to register success of the smoke control policy. Apart from the immediate benefits experienced at times of fog, smoke control in Glasgow and other areas is removing a serious health hazard letting more sunlight through, keeping buildings and their contents cleaner, and reducing maintenance costs in a number of ways.
Mr Arthur Woodburn
, Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
Is the Secretary of State calling the attention of other cities to this benefit? Is he taking any steps to increase the supply of smokeless fuel so that this can be developed more quickly?
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
With a few outstanding exceptions such as Glasgow, which plans to have nearly the whole city under smoke control, progress is not as fast as my right hon. Friend would wish, and he is taking every opportunity to encourage it. My right hon. Friend is also concerned to encourage the supply of smokeless fuel. The right hon. Gentleman may have seen recent reports of a new plant which should be in bulk production later this year.
Mr Thomas Fraser
, Hamilton
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his right hon. Friend the Minister of Power published a white paper in December, 1963, in which he admitted the continuing shortage of solid smokeless fuel and said that this shortage would become greater in the next few years if we persisted in having any further enlargement of smokeless zones? There is a difficulty here which must be looked into. Is the hon. Gentleman aware also that in Glasgow in particular the availability of solid smokeless fuel is declining all the time because the Gas Board is going over from coal carbonisation to the manufacture of town gas from light oil distillates?
Mr Gordon Campbell
, Moray and Nairnshire
My right hon. Friend is well aware of the dilemma here and of the desire to press ahead with smoke-controlled zones, but at the same time not go so far ahead as to overtake the supply of fuels. This is a problem which is appreciated, and the distributive trade is doing its best to overcome it.
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.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
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.
