Oral Answers to Questions — Post Office. – in the House of Commons at on 14 September 1931.
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
asked the Postmaster-General whether the Government will consider making special arrangements for facilitating long- distance telephoning from the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury to New York and Washington, as was done during the late War for similar purposes to Paris?
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
I have received no request for special arrangements, and no necessity has arisen, as the normal facilities are considered adequate.
Commander Hon. Joseph Kenworthy
, Kingston upon Hull Central
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that on one occasion the late Cabinet was held up for two hours waiting for approval from New York relating to loans, and does he not think that better facilities ought to be given—(Interruption.] May I put my question in another way? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that during the late War we had special facilities for communicating with Paris?
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.
