Communities and Local Government written question – answered am ar 30 Ebrill 2009.
Grant Shapps
Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government) (Housing and Planning), Co-Chair, Conservative Party
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of
Iain Wright
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning to my hon. Friend Margaret Moran on
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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.
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.
