Cabinet Office – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 February 2001.
Sir David Amess
Conservative, Southend West
12:00,
14 February 2001
If she will make a statement on her Department's role in co-ordinating the information relating to health in the Government's annual report. [148776]
Dr Mo Mowlam
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Cabinet Office
The Government's annual report was produced by the strategic communications unit in the Prime Minister's office. Chapters on each section were written in collaboration with advisers from No. 10 and the relevant Departments. [Interruption.]
Michael Martin
Speaker of the House of Commons
Order. We cannot hear the right hon. Lady.
Dr Mo Mowlam
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Cabinet Office
Shall I read the answer again?
Dr Mo Mowlam
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Cabinet Office
The Government's annual report was produced by the strategic communications unit in the Prime Minister's office. Chapters o r each section were written in collaboration with advisers from No. 10 and the relevant Departments.
Sir David Amess
Conservative, Southend West
What a shambles of Government.
Rather than co-ordinate the misinformation on the health service, as contained in page 3 of the annual report, will the right hon. Lady consider co-ordinating exactly when the general public will receive appointments with consultants to diagnose their various problems? Will she consider co-ordination to ascertain where this rotten Government intend to find the staff to run the national health service?
Dr Mo Mowlam
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Cabinet Office
In terms of staff, the hon. Gentleman well knows that we are already recruiting more nurses and training more doctors. The situation is improving day by day. If he listened to the facts, he would not have to ask the question.
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.
Ian McCartney
Minister of State, Cabinet Office