Cabinet of New Ingerland

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New Ingerland
Coat of Arms of New Ingerland
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of New Ingerland

The Cabinet is a major organ of the executive government of New Ingerland responsible for making important decisions in the administration of the government. All senior ministers of the government are members of the Cabinet, with the current cabinet consisting of sixteen members, each occupying a portfolio of responsibilities. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, and serves at his pleasure. Not all ministers are members of the Cabinet, with the junior Deputy Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries reporting directly to a Minister of State.

The Cabinet form of government can be traced back to Britain, and was inherited by New Ingerland when the settlement occurred in 1836. Like it's predecessors, the Cabinet meets privately once a week to discuss vital issues and formulate policy. Legally, the Cabinet has no constitutional power, with all authority vested in the Executive Council. The council however, meets solely to endorse and give legal force to decisions already made by the Cabinet.

Functions and powers

The Cabinet arguably has the most power of any body in New Ingerland's system of government. The Cabinet has almost complete control over the legislative agenda of the government, and makes the decisions about what matters will be debated on the government's time. However, because the government often lacks a majority of seats in the Senate, a significant proportion of bills originate with individual members and senators, giving Parliament far more power than might otherwise be seen in this system of government.

The Cabinet takes many of the most important debates on government policy take place. All Cabinet meetings are private and the minutes of these meetings are kept confidential for thirty years. Decisions made in cabinet must be unanimous, although dissent over a particular issue is common enough, and encourages better outcomes from the submissions put. Once a decision is made by the Cabinet, it's members must all publicly support it. Public dissent by a minister obliges him to resign or be dismissed by the Prime Minister.

Composition

The cabinet currently comprises fifteen executive ministers, appointed by the King on the advise of the Prime Minister. Each minister is responsible for a ministerial portfolio consisting of several government departments, and must advise the Monarch and Prime Minister on any political matter relating to his ministry. Additional members may be appointed as "ministers without portfolio", which is a seldom used devise to appoint members to the cabinet that do not oversee a ministry. The current portfolios and their ministries are as follows:

Key

Minister in the House of Assembly
Minister in the Senate
Democratic Party

Cabinet portfolios

The following are the senior ministerial posts, known as cabinet portfolios:

Office Name Term
Prime Minister
President of the Executive Council
Keeper of the Great Seal of New Ingerland
The Rt Hon. Matthew Jones MHA 2012-present
Deputy Prime Minister
Vice-President of the Executive Council
Leader of the House of Assembly
The Rt Hon. Sebastian Vincent MHA 2012-present
Cabinet Secretary
Leader of the Senate
Treasurer of the Crown Estate
The Rt Hon. Senator Jasmine Cassidy 2012-present
Minister of State for Finance The Rt Hon. Paul Richardson MHA 2012-present
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs The Rt Hon. Colin Perrott MHA 2014-present
Minister of State for Justice The Rt Hon. Senator Chris Knox 2016-present
Minister of State for Home Affairs The Rt Hon. Peter Edgeworth MHA 2012-present
Minister of State for Defence The Rt Hon. Tom Jackson MHA 2014-present
Minister of State for Health The Rt Hon. Anna Li MHA 2016-present
Minister of State for Education The Rt Hon. Lucy Napier MHA 2016-present
Minister of State for Labour and National Service The Rt Hon. Senator Ella Williams 2012-present
Minister of State for Trade and Industry The Rt Hon. Senator James Evans 2012-present
Minister of State for Transport The Rt Hon. Timothy Hawkins MHA 2012-present
Minister of State for Communications The Rt Hon. Senator Robert Harper 2016-present
Minister of State for Primary Industry The Rt Hon. Rob Gerard MHA 2016-present
Minister of State for Conservation and Land Management The Rt Hon. Bryan Russell MHA 2014-present
Minister of State for Energy and Water Resources The Rt Hon. Senator Myfanwy Parker 2012-present

See also

References and notes