Junior minister assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister
A
minister of state
is subordinate to a minister, who heads a ministry. The minister covers the entire ministry and the minister of state assists and performs other functions as assigned by the minister.
High government ranks
[
edit
]
In several national traditions, the title "Minister of State" is reserved for government members of
cabinet 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 the
Federal Cabinet
.
- Chile
: Minister of State (
Spanish
:
Ministro de Estado
) is the title borne by all heads of the
Ministries
.
- France
:
Under the
Fifth Republic
, Minister of State (
Ministre d'Etat
in French) is an honorific title bestowed upon nomination as a Minister. Ministres d'Etat, in the protocol, rank after the
Prime Minister
and before the other Ministers but enjoy no other specific prerogatives. Initially, the title of Ministres d'Etat 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'Etat 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'Etat is not to be confused with a
Secretary of State
(
Secretaire d'Etat
), a Junior minister assisting a Minister and who may only attend cabinet meeting if the topic discussed touches his responsibilities. Former Ministres d'Etat include former
French President
Nicolas Sarkozy
.
- Japan
:
Minister of State is the title borne by all members of the
Japanese 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 the
Office of the President
,
Office of the Deputy President
and
Office of the Prime Minister
are 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'Etat
; Luxembourgish and German:
Staatsminister
) is an additional title borne by the
Prime Minister
. Unlike the title 'Prime Minister' (French:
Premier ministre
; Luxembourgish:
Premier
; German:
Premierminister
), which was instituted only in 1989, that of
Minister of State
has 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
:
The
Minister of State of Monaco
is the
Principality
's head of government, appointed by and subordinate to the
Prince of Monaco
and responsible for enforcing its laws.
- Palau
:
The
Minister of State of Palau
is the minister responsible for foreign affairs and international trade.
[1]
- Portugal
:
Minister of State (
Ministro de Estado
) is a member of the
Council of Ministers
who holds a more distinct position within the cabinet, roughly equivalent to
Deputy prime minister
.
- Spain
:
When
Adolfo Suarez
was
Prime Minister
, Ministers of State were created who held a more distinct position within the
Government
. However, this initiative did not last since his successors did not follow this path.
[2]
- Scandinavian
states + Finland: The equivalent title
statsminister
is used for the
head of government
(i.e. the
prime minister
), and compound titles of which
-minister
is a part may be used for major-portfolio Ministers. For details on
statsminister
, see
Prime Minister of Sweden
,
Prime Minister of Denmark
,
Prime Minister of Norway
, and
Prime Minister of Finland
.
- Turkey
:
A
Minister of State
(
Turkish
:
Devlet Bakanı
) was a post in
Turkish cabinets
between 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) but
Lord Beaverbrook
was nominally Minister of State from 1 May 1941 to 29 June 1941 while a member of the
war 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 as
Jacob Rees-Mogg
when he served as Minister of State for Government Efficiency.
Minor government ranks
[
edit
]
In various nations, especially in former members of the
British Empire
, "Minister of State" is a junior ministerial rank, often subordinated to a
cabinet
member.
- Germany
:
Minister of State (
Staatsminister
in German) is the title given to a parliamentary state secretary (a member of parliament serving as a political aide to a cabinet minister) serving in the
Foreign Office
or the
Chancellor's Office
. Accordingly, Minister of State ranks between a
State Secretary
and a Federal Minister. It is also used as the title of cabinet ministers of certain German
states
. Historically, the same title was used (sometimes alternating with other styles), notably as head of government in certain of the many constituent monarchies of pre-reunion Germany, e.g. in
Hesse-Darmstadt
,
Hesse-Kassel
(or Hesse-Cassel),
Lippe
,
Schaumburg-Lippe
, in
Hannover
,
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
,
Reuss-Schleiz-Gera
and
Principality of Reuss-Greiz
,
Kingdom of Saxony
,
Saxe-Altenburg
,
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
,
Saxe-Meiningen
,
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
,
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
and
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
.
- India
:
A Minister of State is a junior minister in the
Council of Ministers
in the
Union Government
who may assist a cabinet minister or have independent charge of a ministry. The
Constitution of India
restricts 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 a
cabinet 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 a
Department of State
(portfolio minister) and of similar standing to a
Parliamentary Secretary
.
- Nigeria
:
A Minister of State is a junior Minister in the
Nigerian Cabinet
and 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 the
Federation
.
- 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
:
A
Minister of State
(or State Minister) is a
non-cabinet minister
of the executive branch of the
Government of Sri Lanka
, as such is junior to a
Cabinet Minister
but senior to a
Deputy Minister
.
- Singapore
:
Ministers of State and Senior Ministers of State are members of the executive branch of the
Government 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 of
Burma
, 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 State
and
Shan State
Other uses
[
edit
]
Australia
[
edit
]
- Australia
:
Section 64 of the
Commonwealth constitution
empowers the
Governor-General
to 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". The
Ministers of State Act 1952
defines the number of ministers only distinguishes between ministers and
parliamentary secretaries
(now known as assistant ministers). However, in practice ministers of state are divided into the
Cabinet
and the outer ministry.
[4]
The only ministerial portfolio to have the term "minister of state" in the title is
Special Minister of State
.
Netherlands and Belgium
[
edit
]
In the
Netherlands
(
Minister van Staat
in Dutch) and
Belgium
(also
Ministre d'Etat
in French), Ministers of State is a title of
honour
awarded 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, with
moral authority
but without formal competence.
In
Belgium
they are entitled to a seat, alongside the members of the government in power, in the
Crown Council
; to date the Crown Council has been convened on only five occasions, the first being in 1870 for the
Franco-Prussian War
, and the latest in 1960 in connection with the independence of the
Belgian 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 of
Etienne Davignon
(European Commissioner) and Luc Coene (prime-ministerial
Kabinetschef
, roughly
Chief 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 Flemish
Socialist SP.A party
. After formateur
Yves Leterme
returned 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 called
State Secretary
(
staatssecretaris
or
secretaire d'etat
), 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 a
sinecure
— 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 Minister
Rob Muldoon
originally 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 was
Keith Holyoake
, a former Prime Minister. Other prominent people to have held the office include
Jim Bolger
and
Robin Gray
(a former Prime Minister and a former
Speaker
, respectively). Examples of people who held the office simply in order that they might be appointed as associate ministers include
Mita Ririnui
,
Damien O'Connor
, and
Dover Samuels
.
Ancien Regime France
[
edit
]
In
France
during the
Ancien Regime
and
Bourbon Restoration
, the title "Ministre d'Etat" had a specific designation. The title first appeared under
Louis XIII
. The "ministres d'Etat", appointed by
lettres patentes
, attended meetings of the
Conseil du Roi
(which would later become the
Conseil d'Etat
). From 1661 on ? at the start of
Louis 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'Etat" for life, and also gave him the right to an annual life pension of roughly 20,000
livres
. There were few "ministres d'Etat" at Council meetings (between three or four during the reign of Louis XIV); they also attended the "Conseil des Depeches" (the "Council of Messages", concerning notices and administrative reports from the provinces).
Suppressed during the
French Revolution
, the title "ministre d'Etat" reappeared during the
Bourbon Restoration
as 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 British
Ministers Resident
in the Middle East, concerned with former British
protectorate
Egypt
, were styled Ministers of State in the Middle East.
See also
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References
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External links
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