Northern Ireland written question – answered at on 15 May 2013.
Hazel Blears
Labour, Salford and Eccles
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance she has given to her Department's non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.
Mike Penning
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
My Department and its sponsored bodies follow guidance from Cabinet Office and/or the Department of Finance and Personnel (NI) in implementing the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures. Advice and guidance on all procurement is provided directly to my Department's sponsored bodies by the Department of Finance and Personnel's Central Procurement Directorate.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
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.
