Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:28 pm on 14 May 2024.
Vaughan Gething
Labour
2:28,
14 May 2024
There's plainly more to do. I was very clear about the need to have information about the direct workforce and, indeed, contractors as well. I know we'll go through this in more detail later on today. There is a question, though, not just about information but about how the transition board is constructed and whether it's the right vehicle to do the work that is required to support workers who could find themselves out of a job. And as we know, the outline plans that are in public would see significant job losses before the end of this calendar year. It's a matter of real concern to Members across the Chamber, real concern to myself and the economy and energy Cabinet Secretary who met trade unions last week. But much more so—and we should never forget this—it's a matter of real concern to thousands of workers and their families as we speak today.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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.
