§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will define the general responsibilities which he has allocated to each of the Ministers and Under-Secretaries of State in his Department; and how the duties formerly carried out by the Minister of State for Urban Affairs have been divided amongst other Ministers.
§ Mr. CroslandI have overall responsibility for all the work of my Department. Other Ministerial responsibilities in the Department can be summarised as follows
The Minister for Planning and Local Government (Mr. Silkin) deals with land use and regional planning, land policy, new towns, and local government matters. He is supported by Mr. Oakes.The Minister for Transport (Mr. Mulley) deals with roads and transportation, nationalised transport, and road safety. He is supported by Mr. Carmichael.The Minister for Housing and Construction (Mr. Freeson) deals with housing, the construction industry, and the Property Services Agency. He is supported by Mr. Kaufman.The Minister of State (Mr. Howell) deals with sport, pollution policy and countryside matters. Lady Birk—who speaks for the Department in another place—deals with ancient monuments, historic towns and buildings, and conservation. The duties formerly carried out by the Minister of State for Urban Affairs have been divided between Lady Birk and the three senior Ministers as appropriate.Lord Melchett is an additional spokesman for the Department in another place.