Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Mercantile Marine. – in the House of Commons at on 30 January 1940.
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
I am aware that Ministers have addressed private meetings of Members of the Conservative Party in this House on the administration of their Departments. This is not a new practice but it naturally assumes greater importance in war time. Ministers are always ready to address private committees of Members of this House irrespective of part and several of my colleagues have accepted invitations to address private meetings of Members of the Opposition. In order to remove any misapprehension which my hon. Friend's Question may have caused, I must state that at these meetings no information is disclosed which in the public interest ought to be kept secret. I would only add that important statements on the progress of our war effort have been and will continue to be made by Ministers in Parliament.
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.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
