Treasury written question – answered at on 1 May 2007.
Mark Francois
Shadow Paymaster General
To ask the Chancellor of the exchequer what the costs of running No. 11 Downing street were in 2005-06.
John Healey
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury
By long-standing arrangement, the Treasury pays a contribution to the Cabinet Office for the rent and service charge of the space used by HM Treasury and by the Chancellor of the exchequer within the Downing street estate, including the No. 11 state rooms and offices and the No. 10 residence. This comprises 14.4 per cent. of the total estate. For 2005-06, this contribution totalled £318,338.
Yes1 person thinks so
No2 people think not
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The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
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.
