Wikipedia

Minister of State

For the 1997 Finnish film, seeThe Minister of State.

Minister of stateis a designation for agovernment minister,with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as anhonorificconferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior ministers. In the United Kingdom and several otherCommonwealthcountries, "minister of state" is a junior rank subordinate to ministers of higher rank. In Brazil and Japan, all ministers of cabinet rank hold the title, while in Australia "minister of state" is the designation applied to all government ministers regardless of rank.

High government ranks

edit

In several national traditions, the title "Minister of State" is reserved for government members ofcabinet rank,often a formal distinction within it, or even its chief.

  • Brazil:Minister of State (Portuguese:Ministro de Estado) is the title borne by all members of theFederal Cabinet.
  • Chile:Minister of State (Spanish:Ministro de Estado) is the title borne by all heads of theMinistries.
  • France:Under theFifth Republic,Minister of State (Ministre d'Étatin French) is an honorific title bestowed upon nomination as a Minister. Ministres d'État, in the protocol, rank after thePrime Ministerand before the other Ministers but enjoy no other specific prerogatives. Initially, the title of Ministres d'État didn't explicitly include a portfolio (a practice common under previous regimes), although in time both the title and a specific portfolio have since normally been conferred together. As under previous regimes, a series of Ministres d'État in the same cabinet may also reflect a balance between the different political trends in the ruling party (or within the ruling coalition). A Ministre d'État is not to be confused with aSecretary of State(Secrétaire d'État), a Junior minister assisting a Minister and who may only attend cabinet meeting if the topic discussed touches his responsibilities. Former Ministres d'État include formerFrench PresidentNicolas Sarkozy.
  • Japan:Minister of State is the title borne by all members of theJapanese Cabinet.
  • Kenya:A Minister of State generically refers to a more senior minister by virtue of the revenue power, or security implications of their ministry. For instance, ministries housed under theOffice of the President,Office of the Deputy PresidentandOffice of the Prime Ministerare titled as "Ministries of State for". Actual examples include Ministry of State for Internal Security and Provincial Administration; Ministry of State for Immigration; and Ministry of State for Public Service.[citation needed]
  • Luxembourg:Minister of State (French:Ministre d'État;Luxembourgish and German:Staatsminister) is an additional title borne by thePrime Minister.Unlike the title 'Prime Minister' (French:Premier ministre;Luxembourgish:Premier;German:Premierminister), which was instituted only in 1989, that ofMinister of Statehas been held by the head of government since 1848. As Minister of State, his role is to control and coordinate the activities of the other Ministers.
  • Monaco:TheMinister of State of Monacois thePrincipality's head of government, appointed by and subordinate to thePrince of Monacoand responsible for enforcing its laws.
  • Palau:TheMinister of State of Palauis the minister responsible for foreign affairs and international trade.[1]
  • Portugal:Minister of State (Ministro de Estado) is a member of theCouncil of Ministerswho holds a more distinct position within the cabinet, roughly equivalent toDeputy prime minister.
  • Spain:WhenAdolfo SuárezwasPrime Minister,Ministers of State were created who held a more distinct position within theGovernment.However, this initiative did not last since his successors did not follow this path.[2]
  • Scandinavianstates + Finland: The equivalent titlestatsministeris used for thehead of government(i.e. theprime minister), and compound titles of which-ministeris a part may be used for major-portfolio Ministers. For details onstatsminister,seePrime Minister of Sweden,Prime Minister of Denmark,Prime Minister of Norway,andPrime Minister of Finland.
  • Turkey:AMinister of State(Turkish:Devlet Bakanı) was a post inTurkish cabinetsbetween 1946 and 2011. It was possible to have more than one Minister of State in a single cabinet, responsible for different policy areas.
  • United Kingdom:Normally a mid-level government role (see next section) butLord Beaverbrookwas nominally Minister of State from 1 May 1941 to 29 June 1941 while a member of thewar cabinet.It has become regular practice for senior Ministers of State to be invited to attend cabinet on a regular basis at the Prime Minister's discretion, though they are not technically full members. However, more recently, some Ministers of State have been made full members of the Cabinet, such asJacob Rees-Moggwhen he served as Minister of State for Government Efficiency.

Minor government ranks

edit

In various nations, especially in former members of theBritish Empire,"Minister of State" is a junior ministerial rank, often subordinated to acabinetmember.

  • India:A Minister of State is a junior minister in theCouncil of Ministersin theUnion Governmentwho may assist a cabinet minister or have independent charge of a ministry. TheConstitution of Indiarestricts the number of ministers of state in the federal government. A Minister of State with independent charge is a minister without an overseeing Cabinet Minister in the State or Union Government of India. He himself is in charge of his ministry, unlike Minister of State who is also a Minister but assists acabinet minister.Moreover, such ministers can take part in cabinet meetings on important issues unlike Ministers of state who does not take any part in any cabinet meetings.
  • Ireland:A Minister of State is junior to a Minister of aDepartment of State(portfolio minister) and of similar standing to aParliamentary Secretary.
    See also:Ministers of State in Ireland
  • Nigeria:A Minister of State is a junior Minister in theNigerian Cabinetand is normally the principal deputy or one of the deputies to the Minister in a Federal Ministry. The Minister of State may in some cases be the head of a special department in the President's Office. By law, both senior Ministers and Ministers of State are regarded as Ministers of the Government of theFederation.
  • Pakistan:Like in other former British colonies, a Minister of State in Pakistan is a junior Minister in the national Government who may assist a cabinet minister or have independent charge of a ministry.[3]
  • Sri Lanka:AMinister of State(or State Minister) is anon-cabinet ministerof the executive branch of theGovernment of Sri Lanka,as such is junior to aCabinet Ministerbut senior to aDeputy Minister.
  • Singapore:Ministers of State and Senior Ministers of State are members of the executive branch of theGovernment of Singapore,senior in rank to Parliamentary Secretaries and Senior Parliamentary Secretaries, but junior to full Cabinet Ministers.
  • Turkmenistan:The chairperson of the government-owned national natural gas company,Turkmengas,holds the rank of Minister of State, and is included in the Cabinet of Ministers.

Subnational office

edit

In the republic ofBurma,the title was used for the Chief ministers of the following autonomous states, from 1947/48 till the abolition of that autonomy in 1962:Arakan State(Rakhine),Chin State,Kayin State(Kayin),Kayah State(Karenni),Kachin StateandShan State

Other uses

edit

Australia

edit
  • Australia:Section 64 of theCommonwealth constitutionempowers theGovernor-Generalto appoint "the Queen's Ministers of State for the Commonwealth [of Australia]" as "officers to administer such departments of State of the Commonwealth as the Governor‑General in Council may establish". TheMinisters of State Act 1952defines the number of ministers only distinguishes between ministers andparliamentary secretaries(now known as assistant ministers). However, in practice ministers of state are divided into theCabinetand the outer ministry.[4]The only ministerial portfolio to have the term "minister of state" in the title isSpecial Minister of State.

Netherlands and Belgium

edit
Main articles:Minister of State (Netherlands)andMinister of State (Belgium)

In theNetherlands(Minister van Staatin Dutch) andBelgium(alsoMinistre d'Étatin French), Ministers of State is a title ofhonourawarded formally by the Monarch, but on the initiative of the government. It is given on a personal basis, for life rather than for a specified period. The title is granted for exceptional merits, generally to senior politicians at the end of their party career. Ministers of state are often former cabinet members or party leaders. Ministers of State advise the Sovereign in delicate situations, withmoral authoritybut without formal competence.

InBelgiumthey are entitled to a seat, alongside the members of the government in power, in theCrown Council;to date the Crown Council has been convened on only five occasions, the first being in 1870 for theFranco-Prussian War,and the latest in 1960 in connection with the independence of theBelgian Congo.Apart from that, the only privileges of being a "minister of state" are precedence according to protocol on state occasions and a ministerial car registration number. De facto, appointments tend to respect the almost obsessional balances between the Flemish and French-speaking communities as well as between the 'ministeriable' political families: mainly Christian-democrats, Socialists, Liberals, also (moderate) Nationalists, occasionally an Ecologist). Other former careers include those ofÉtienne Davignon(European Commissioner) and Luc Coene (prime-ministerialKabinetschef,roughlyChief of staff). In January 2006 the number of ministers of state reached 51 with Johan Vande Lanotte, shortly after he laid down his portfolio and title of Vice-Prime Minister to head the FlemishSocialist SP.A party.After formateurYves Letermereturned his commission in August 2007, King Albert II consulted 13 Ministers of State individually, without convening the crown council as such.

In both countries, junior ministers are calledState Secretary(staatssecretarisorsecrétaire d'état), similarly to France. Some State Secretaries may, in specific circumstances, style themselves as Minister (not Minister of State) when visiting a foreign country.

New Zealand

edit
  • To bestow asinecure— the role has been given to senior figures who did not occupy positions of leadership, but who were held in high esteem or who were wanted in Cabinet. For example, a former Prime Minister might be appointed Minister of State as an "elder statesman"— this was the purpose for which New Zealand Prime MinisterRob Muldoonoriginally created the position in 1975.
  • To create a sort of junior minister — using this office, politicians can be appointed to associate roles without having a substantive ministerial role of their own. There is no formal rank of "assistant minister" or "deputy minister" in New Zealand, but if someone is a full minister, they can be assigned to an associate role helping a different full minister. Someone appointed Minister of State is technically a full minister and can thus be assigned associate roles, thereby creating a type of minister whose only effective authority is as an associate minister.

The first Minister of State in New Zealand wasKeith Holyoake,a former Prime Minister. Other prominent people to have held the office includeJim BolgerandRobin Gray(a former Prime Minister and a formerSpeaker,respectively). Examples of people who held the office simply in order that they might be appointed as associate ministers includeMita Ririnui,Damien O'Connor,andDover Samuels.

Ancien Régime France

edit

InFranceduring theAncien RégimeandBourbon Restoration,the title "Ministre d'État" had a specific designation. The title first appeared underLouis XIII.The "ministres d'État", appointed bylettres patentes,attended meetings of theConseil du Roi(which would later become theConseil d'État). From 1661 on — at the start ofLouis XIV's "personal reign" — the king called whomever he wished to his Council; invitations were only good for one session and needed to be renewed as long as the individual retained the king's confidence. However, having attended one session of the Council gave the person the right to be called "ministre d'État" for life, and also gave him the right to an annual life pension of roughly 20,000livres.There were few "ministres d'État" at Council meetings (between three or four during the reign of Louis XIV); they also attended the "Conseil des Dépêches" (the "Council of Messages", concerning notices and administrative reports from the provinces).

Suppressed during theFrench Revolution,the title "ministre d'État" reappeared during theBourbon Restorationas essentially an honorary title given (not systematically) to Ministers after their demission or their departure from office; refusal on behalf of the King to award this title to a demissioned Minister was seen as an affront.

British diplomacy

edit

From 28 January 1944, the last two BritishMinisters Residentin the Middle East, concerned with former BritishprotectorateEgypt,were styled Ministers of State in the Middle East.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"Ministry of State – PalauGov.pw".
  2. ^"Los Gobiernos de Suárez".El País(in Spanish). 1981-01-30.ISSN1134-6582.Retrieved2019-09-05.
  3. ^Pakistan Federal CabinetArchived2007-03-02 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^"Ministers of State Act 1952".Federal Register of Legislation.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minister_of_State&oldid=1254698246"