Oral Answers to Questions — Housing and Local Government – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 7 Ebrill 1970.
Mrs Renée Short
, Wolverhampton North East
12:00,
7 Ebrill 1970
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now take steps to reorganise his Building Regulations Advisory Committee, in order to give the structural engineering profession stronger representation upon it.
Mr Anthony Greenwood
, Rossendale
The present Committee of 15 members includes three structural engineers. To add further structural engineers would upset the balance of the Committee.
Mrs Renée Short
, Wolverhampton North East
But in view of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee's performance on the fifth Amendment, does not my right hon. Friend think that this Committee should be reorganised? Would he consider reappointing members at rather more frequent intervals than is now done?
Mr Anthony Greenwood
, Rossendale
I would not subscribe to my hon. Friend's criticism of the work of the Committee. It has worked very quickly, I think, and very effectively under great difficulties. I will bear in mind her suggestion that the membership should be reorganised more frequently, but I am sure that she will realise that I have to strike a balance between the various professional interests involved, and it would be wrong for me to tilt the Committee in one direction.
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.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
