Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Defence – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 18 Rhagfyr 1973.
Mr Dick Douglas
, Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
12:00,
18 Rhagfyr 1973
Does not the Minister concede that, with the unique opportunity for the development of the North Sea, the special facilities of this establishment should be used to give advice on the design and testing of production platforms for the North Sea, that much more of the establishment's activity should be in the civilian field and that, if necessary, the establishment should be built up and expanded for that purpose?
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.
