Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 5 Rhagfyr 1973.
Mr Peter Rees
, Dover
12:00,
5 Rhagfyr 1973
I can make up my own mind on how to vote, but it would assist me to know what the alternatives are. This is an important question to my constituents, but I am left in total doubt about what the Labour Party's intentions would be when it was responsible, as the Government, for the Channel Tunnel. Although the right hon. Gentleman has made criticisms, justified or otherwise, of the tunnel which the present Government are supporting, we are left in total doubt as to what kind of tunnel he would be supporting if he were Minister now. It is a question of what alternatives there would be. The right hon. Gentleman has spoken in general terms about the tunnel, but has left us in doubt as to what kind of tunnel the Opposition would support.
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.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
