Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 8 October 2024.
Janet Finch-Saunders
Conservative
2:11,
8 October 2024
I will hold you to that. The reason I've asked the question is Mark Drakeford MS, back in charge of finance—there is some cause for concern, because the Cabinet Secretary refused to rule out income tax increases. On 3 October he wrote to me again, refusing to actually rule out any increases, and in fact it was only last week that he spoke of raising the basic 20p rate and how much it would bring in significant money for Wales. However, as the finance Cabinet Secretary has also admitted, we know that most people now are on the very edge of managing, and sometimes not managing at all, when it comes to their home finances. So, it is reassuring, that. I hope the media report that, because there are an awful lot of people who believe, just like Keir Starmer—the Prime Minister, I should say—there is obviously a feeling now that you're just going to tax and tax and tax, so it's quite reassuring that you say there will be no increase to income tax in Wales. Diolch, First Minister.
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.
