0
3
Membership of the C a b i n e t i s not i n i t s e l f an o f f i c e ,
but members a r e a l l M i n i s t e r s of the Grown and P r i v y
Councillors.
Sec J e n n i n g s , p p . 6 1 - 6 4 and Aaaon,
V o l . 11(1) p p . 111-2, 224.
I n the oecond . . o r l d . u r , L o r d H a l i f a x ,
( h i s M a j e s t y ' s Ambassador i n Washington)
attended meetings of the .ar C a b i n e t , as a
f u l l member, when i n London.
He was o f course)
a P r i v y Councillor.
See minute o f
28th November, 1941 on F i l e 48/4/1 P a r t 1 ;
Hansard, House o f Cossaone, 27th November, 1941
Cols. 890-1.
if
The Prime M i n i s t e r makes M i n i s t e r s members o f the C a b i n e t
bjr informal I n v i t a t i o n and c a n e q u a l l y i n f o r m a l l y r e q u e s t
them t o l e a v e the C a b i n e t .
I n p r a c t i c e changes i n the
membership o f the C a b i n e t w i t h i n the l i f e t i m e o f a s i n g l e
Government a r e f r e q u e n t l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h changes i n o f f i c e
t o a v o i d a s i t u a t i o n where a M i n i s t e r may l e a v e t h e Cabinet
while retaining his o f f i c e .
I n November, 1 9 4 2 , when S i r S t a f f o r d C r i p p s
ceased t o be L o r d P r i v y S e a l and became M i n i s t e r
of A i r c r a f t P r o d u c t i o n , he l e f t the .ar C a b i n e t .
I n May, 1 9 4 0 , L o r d Simon, on r e l i n q u i s h i n g
o f f i c e a e C h a n c e l l o r o f the Exchequer t o become
L o r d C h a n c e l l o r , l e f t t h e (far C a b i n e t . I n
October, 1 9 4 7 , Mr. S h i n w e l l , on r e l i n q u i s h i n g
o f f i c e a s M i n i s t e r of F u e l and Power t o become
s e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r War, l e f t the C a b i n e t .
On the o t h e r hand i n F e b r u a r y . 1942, S i r K i n g e l e y
Wood l e f t t h e War C a b i n e t a l t h o u g h remaining
C h a n c e l l o r of the Sxehequer;
and i n 1 9 4 6 , on
t h e appointment of a M i n i s t e r of D e f e n c e , the
S e r v i c e M i n i s t e r s l e f t the C a b i n e t .
The composition of the C a b i n e t i s determined by the
Prime M i n i s t e r , who i s guided p a r t l y by t r a d i t i o n and p a r t l y
by p o l i t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s and the p e r s o n a l i t y o f h i s
colleagues.
Por t h e composition o f C a b i n e t s s i n c e 1916
s e e Annex 1*
o e e Jennings p p . 62-63;
, neon, pp. 1 1 1 - 2 ;
22kjr a n d . f o r d e t a i l s o f membership, e t c .
P i l e 1+/1/3.
B e f o r e 1916 t h e Cabinet u s u a l l y i n c l u d e d
a l l M i n i s t e r s o f t h e Crown.
On 9 t h December,
1 9 1 6 , t h e C a b i n e t was r e p l a c e d by a .ar C a b i n e t .
T h i s was composed o f t h e members of t h e
War Committee of the Cabinet which was s e t up *
e a r l i e r i n the war and c o n s i s t e d of f i r e
M i n i s t e r s , none of whom, except t h e C h a n c e l l o r
of the -Exchequer, was a Departmental M i n i s t e r .
I n 1919 the f u l l Cabinet was r e - i n t r o d u c e d .
The number o f Departmental M i n i s t e r s had mean­
w h i l e i n c r e a s e d , and C a b i n e t s between 1919 and
1939 c o n t a i n e d u s u a l l y twenty members, t h e
remaining M i n i s t e r s s h a r i n g the c o l l e c t i v e
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the Cabinet b u t not s i t t i n g I n
Cabinet.
I n the f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s in 1931 a R a t i o n a l
Cabinet was s e t up o f only nine M i n i s t e r s
b e s i d e s the Prims M i n i s t e r .
This Cabinet,
which f i r s t met on 26th --ugust, 1931, held 2k
m e e t i n g s , and remained i n o f f i c e u n t i l the
formation of the second N a t i o n a l Cabinet on
I G t h November, 1 9 3 1 *
A t t h e o u t b r e a k of war i n September, 1 9 3 9
a .Var Cabinet of nine members was formed;
in
May, 1940 when Mr. C h u r c h i l l became Prime
M i n i s t e r of a C o a l i t i o n Government, t h e War
C a b i n e t was reformed w i t h f i v e msmhwrs; but
i t e composition was l a t e r m o d i f i e d from time
to time.
S e e Annex 1*
On 25th May, 1945 when Labour a nd L i b e r a l
srs l e f t Mr. C h u r c h i l l ' s Government, a
Cabinet was formed o f f i f t e e n members b e s i d e s
the Prime M i n i s t e r .
Mr. A t t l e e ' s Labour Cabinet when formed
i n u g u s t , 19U5 c o n s i s t e d of twenty M i n i s t e r s .
I n 19h8 t h e number went down t o 1 6 , u n t i l
Mr. D a l t o n r e t u r n e d t o of i c e a s C h a n c e l l o r of
the Duchy of Lancaster.
P o r d i s c u s s i o n of the g e n e r a l problem o f &
s i z e and composition of t h e C a b i n e t e e e Report
of the Machinery of Government Committee (Cad 9230
of 1918) p p . 4 - 6 ; n o t e s by the S e c r e t a r y of t h e
Cabinet on an a r t i c l e by Lord Samuel i n
P i l e 28/2/97; and G.Q.C. ( 4 9 ) 1 0 .
tj.
Xt h a s bean u s u a l f o r C a b i n e t s t o i n c l u d e one o r more
M i n i s t e r s w i t h o u t heavy Departmental d u t i e s , e . g . the Lord
P r e s i d e n t o f the Council and the L o r d P r i v y S e a l ;
and from
time to time M i n i s t e r s without P o r t f o l i o have been a p p o i n t e d .
These M i n i s t e r s may b e a s s i g n e d s p e c i f i c t a s k s s s t h e need
a r i s e s , o r they may be g i v e s a g e n e r a l c o - o r d i n a t i n g f u n c t i o n
over a p a r t i c u l a r f i e l d o f a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ;
they a r e
f r e q u e n t l y a p p o i n t e d Chairmen o f C a b i n e t Committees.
Ministers
charged w i t h c o - o r d i n a t i n g f u n c t i o n s do n o t , however, f u l f i l
any s u p e r v i s o r y r o l e on the l i n e s a d v o c a t e d , f o r example, i n
the r e p o r t o f Machinery o f Government Committee i n 1918
(Cmd. 9 2 3 0 ) ;
and t h e Departmental M i n i s t e r s remain r e s p o n s i b l e
f o r the p o l i c y and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e i r Departments.
Xa
a note c i r c u l a t e d i n O c t o b e r , 1947 ( C P . ( 4 7 ) 2 8 8 ) the Prime
M i n i s t e r o u t l i n e d the d u t i e s of the M i n i s t e r s w i t h c o ­
o r d i n a t i n g f u n c t i o n s then i n o f f i c e , i . e . the C h a n c e l l o r o f
the Exchequer, the M i n i s t e r f o r Keonoizde a f f a i r s , the M i n i s t e r
o f Defence aud the L o r d P r i v y u e a l .
I n November, 1947 when
S i r S t a f f o r d G r i p p e succeeded Mr. D a l t o n a s C h a n c e l l o r o f
t h e Exchequer he r e t a i n e d the f u n c t i o n s a s s i g n e d to him w h i l e
M i n i s t e r f o r Economic A f f a i r s .
r
7.
The growth in the number of Depertanmta in the loot thirty
yeare or so BOB ando it iapoeaible to include a l l Miniatera in the Cabinet.
Throughout the 'thirties a few Miniatera were "outaide" the Cabinet I end to
the Adsdniatration (apart fron the Law Officers end junior Ministers^
oollectiwe reapcnolbility. They RECEIVE noat Cabinet isoii mils end a l l
Cabinet minuteaj they any aubadt to the Cabinet propoaala on any
eubjeotj and thoee who ere in oharge of Dopartntnto attend Cabinet
meetings for rHaonwalra of natters which affect their Departanntal
interests.
On attendance at Cabinet see paragraph 14,
On too circulation of thimsssHu ess part IV,
The tern "Minister of Cabinet rank", which was used before
tht second world War to denote Ministers in toe Cabinet, ease to
be used during too war to describe Ministers who were not aosfjers
of^too Mirjtobtostto^sdg^
in n
nnt^JoCt,^^^
Ohould be
diaoontisSrtip. (50) ^
-^ilTWiLl^T^" "*
Since 1945 i t has beeone too practice to appoint "Minioters
of State" ss aeaiatsnta to Minioters in oharge of sone of toe
major Departoenta, e.g, too Treasury, too foreign office and too
Colonial Office. Thooo Ministers have a higher otatos than junior
Ministers, but i t has not been dearly established whether they
necessarily store folly in too collective responsibility of tot
Government (see adnnto of 27.6,50 on file 4/1/11).
for none tine sfter the fomation of too for Cabinet in 1939
Ministoia not in too to Cabinet were in various lints divided by
line drawn below the offices which hod toon included in the peace­
time Cabinet. Thus, Vaoher for October, 1939. showed eight
Mtetotora^ "below
tooJ^"j^wia^^
floottlsli Law Offioers were apparently emitted inad vo vtoi tly.)
By 1942 too only Ministers "below the 1180" were the Minister of
Pensions end the four Lev Officers, sad, on too Prims Minister^
CPUs 4/VH* note of 25th NovTmbeJ, 1942). The torn "beleafthe
lino" is now vmeA only in relation to those who, in too record
Of attendance at meetings of the Cabinet and Coandttees, sro
Shown as "also present", i.e. at longing not aa nembsrs tot ss
invitees.
o f P e n s i o n s and t h e f o u r L a v O f f i c e r s , a n d ,
on t h e r r i i a e i . ; i n i s t e r * e i n s t r u c t i o n s , t h e
d i s t i n c t i o n was abandoned i n November, 19U2.
( I l i e k/l/U, n o t e o f 2 5 t h l o v a e A e r , 1 9 U 2 ) .
The t e r m " b e l o w t h e l i n e " i s now u s e d o n l y i n
r e l a t i o n t o those who, i n the r e c o r d of a t t e n d ­
ance a t m e e t i n g s o f t h e C a b i n e t and Committees,
a r e shown a s " a l s o p r e s e n t i . e , a t t e n d i n g
not a s members but a s i n v i t e e s .
%
g-
A
\
. jk
,
K
, "\
^^yj
r
W h i l e t h e L o r d C h a n c e l l o r l a r e g a r d e d a s the p r i n c i p a l
a d v i s e r t o t h e Cabinet on l e g a l m a t t e r s , ons o f the Lav
O f f i c e r s i s now normally asked t o a t t e n d t h e Cabinet when
Usually
l e g a l o r c o n s t i t u t i o n a l i s s u e s a r e under d i s c u s s i o n .
t h i s i s t h e A t t o r n a y - G o i i e r a l o r i n h i s abssnos t h e S o l i d t o r ­
O e n e r a l ^ D u T l t h e L o r d Advocate isay^bo^fcha^aheeoeW be asksd
to a t t e n d i n h i s c a p a c i t y o f one o f t h e f o u r Lew O f f i c e r s
o f t h e Crown. The g e n e r a l r o l e o f t h e Law o r r i c e r a was
r e s t a t e d by t h e Prime M i n i s t e r i n C P . (48) 2 7 1 , t h e substance
o f which i s embodied i n p a r a g r a p h s 6 and 28 of C P . (1+9)95*
C P . ( 1 * 8 ) 2 7 1 (16th Movember, 191*8)
stated:­
" I t I s very d e s i r a b l e t h a t we should make
f u l l u s e o f t h s e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e Law
O f f i c e r s on t h e l e g a l a s p e c t s of p o l i c y questions]
I have not h e r e l a mind t h e l o n g - e s t a b l i s h e d
and v a l u a b l e p r a c t i c e o f r e f e r r i n g d i f f i c u l t
l e g a l i s s u e s to t h e Law O f f i c e r s f o r a formal
Opinion, but r a t h e r the general a s s i s t a n c e
which they can g i v e t o t h e i r M i n i s t e r i a l
c o l l e a g u e s on t h s l e g a l q u e s t i o n s which a r i s e
i n t h e f o r m u l a t i o n and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f p o l i c y .
" I hope, t h e r e f o r e , that M i n i s t e r s i n
charge o f Departments w i l l s e t h e s i t a t e to consultj
t h s Law O f f i c e r s , a s c o l l e a g u e s i n t h e
Government, on q u e s t i o n s where t h e i r a d v i c e i s
l i k e l y t o be o f v a l u e .
"Chairmen o f C a b i n e t Committees should
a l s o b e a r i n raind t h e v a l u e o f s e c u r i n g t h e
attendance o f one o f t h e Law O f f i c e r s at any
meeting a t which l e g a l i a s u e s a r e l i k e l y t o
arise. "
1
On t h s p o s i t i o n o f the S c o t t i s h Law
O f f i c e r s , who have sometimes i n t h e p a s t been
a p p o i n t e d on a n o n - p o l i t i c a l b a s i s , s e e
Mo. 1 0 , Downing S t r e e t Handbook, p . 19.
I n A p r i l , 192k t h s A t t o r n e y - G e n e r a l
submitted a memorandum ( C P . 2 5 1 ( 2 4 ) Annex I I I )
p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t " i n important matters i t
g e n e r a l l y happens t h a t t h e Law O f f i c e r s have
no knowledge whatever o f the p o l i c y to be
adopted by the C a b i n e t , end 5n consequence a r e
q u i t e u n a b l e to e x p r e s s an o p i n i o n a s to whether
that p o l i c y can b e l e g a l l y c a r r i e d i n t o e f f e c t . "
M i n i s t e r s were asked ( C a b . 2 7 ( 2 4 ) 4 ) to ensure
that t h e Law O f f i c e r s saw B i l l s a s e a r l y a s
possible.
The Law O f f i c e r s were a l s o , i f
necessary, t o be c a l l e d to the C a b i n e t .
It
was p a r t l y a s a r e s u l t o f t h i s d i s c u s s i o n that
the T r e a s u r y Minute o f 28th A p r i l , 1921* on t h s
submission o f b u s i n e s s to the C a b i n e t was
issued ( s s s below).