Part of Petition – in the House of Commons am 10:28 pm ar 14 Mai 1991.
Mr Tam Dalyell
, Linlithgow
10:28,
14 Mai 1991
I thank the Minister for that serious answer. He has answered my questions in the spirit in which they were asked last week.
On the issue of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, is he prepared to give me the evidence of Sir Donald Acheson that short-term exposure may not have deleterious effects? I will not challenge the chief medical officer on his own ground but I should be more than curious to ascertain what evidence the Minister is relying on.
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.
