§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Minister will now carry out the duties allocated to the hon. Member for Eltham (Mr. Bottomley) in the last Cabinet Office document intituled, "A List of Ministerial Responsibilities".
§ Mr. BrookeI have decided that these duties will be reallocated as follows.
My noble Friend Lord Skelmersdale will assume responsibility for the Department of Agriculture. I shall myself answer in this House on agriculture matters. In the Department of the Environment, my hon. Friend the Member for Wiltshire, North (Mr. Needham) will take on responsibility for the roads service, the works service and 568W the public record office, to add to his existing responsibilities for planning, urban affairs, the lands service and comprehensive development. My hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) will assume responsibility for housing, local government, historic monuments, conservation, environmental protection, the water service, ordnance survey, the lands registry, the registry of deeds, and transport, including the fire service.
Other ministerial duties remain unchanged. I continue to have overall responsibility for the work of the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments.