Oral Answers to Questions — Russia. – in the House of Commons at on 2 May 1923.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he will be in a position to make public the terms of the new Note to the Russian Government?
Lieut-Colonel Albert Buckley
, Waterloo
My hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make any statement on the subject.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
Will the Russian Government be asked to make any reply, or, if the reply is not satisfactory, will action be taken without this House being consulted?
Lieut-Colonel Albert Buckley
, Waterloo
I think the hon. and gallant Gentleman had better wait until we get the reply.
Captain William Benn
, Leith
If the letter makes a threat, will the House be consulted before the threat is implemented?
Lieut-Colonel Albert Buckley
, Waterloo
I could not say.
Mr Charles Trevelyan
, Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Has not the Prime Minister already said that the House will be consulted?
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
Can we be informed why the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is not present on the one day of the week when Foreign Office questions are asked?
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the diplomatic Note of protest to the Russian Government has yet been drawn up; whether it has been forwarded to Moscow for presentation to that Government; and when he will be in a position to state the terms of the Note?
Lieut-Colonel Albert Buckley
, Waterloo
My hon. Friend can as yet add nothing to the reply given to the Noble Lord the Member for South Battersea on 30th April.
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
Does that mean that the Note has not yet been decided on by the Cabinet?
Lieut-Colonel Albert Buckley
, Waterloo
I cannot add anything to the answer already given.
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.
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.
