Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 26 November 2014.
Liam McArthur
Liberal Democrat
I thank the Minister for that helpful response and I congratulate him on his appointment. I welcome in particular his role as minister for the islands. The focus on new powers is clearly welcome but, as he indicated, it is vital to focus on the powers that we have, particularly in relation to transport. This is a long-standing issue, as the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities will testify. Will the minister agree to meet me and the local council to discuss how the issue can be progressed in the interests of supporting some of the most vulnerable communities in Orkney, for which the ferry services are a genuine lifeline?
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.
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.
