Oral Answers to Questions — Government Staffs. – in the House of Commons at on 6 December 1920.
Mr John Hinds
, Carmarthen
asked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to appoint a Select Committee to make full inquiry into the staffing of Government Departments, both in London and the provinces, having regard to the allegations that many of these staffs are unduly swollen, and that many fresh appointments are being made unnecessarily and new officials sent into Departments that do not desire them?
Mr David Lloyd George
, Caernarvon District of Boroughs
Great efforts have been made in this matter by the Government, through the examination of the staffs in each Department, both by committees and in other ways, but I shall consider with the Chancellor of the exchequer and the Cabinet Finance Committee the suggestion of my hon. Friend.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
