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 Cabinet Committees

38. Cabinet Committees provide the forum for detailed consideration and discussion of issues before full Cabinet consideration, with officials available to assist ministers if the Cabinet Committee wishes (see Annex G – Cabinet Committees).

39. The Prime Minister determines the membership, Chair, Deputy Chair and terms of reference of each Cabinet Committee.

40. Cabinet Committees are usually established either around a subject area, such as national security, or around a general function of government, such as expenditure and taxation.

41. Temporary Cabinet Committees may also be established by the Prime Minister to carry out a particular task, usually over a limited timeframe.

42. Cabinet Committees derive their powers from the Cabinet. Generally, Cabinet Committee decisions are brought forward to the Cabinet for endorsement and the Cabinet retains the ultimate power of decision. While some Cabinet Committees make final decisions for security or practical reasons, most Cabinet Committee decisions may not be acted on until they have been endorsed by the Cabinet. The Cabinet may alter a Cabinet Committee decision or ask a Cabinet Committee to consider a matter further.

43. Occasionally, the Cabinet will authorise a Cabinet Committee or specified minister to have power to act (that is, power to take a final decision) on a clearly defined item. Where a Cabinet Committee or specified minister takes a decision under power to act that decision can be acted on immediately and these decisions are reported to the Cabinet in the usual way. When authorising decisions to be taken by a specified minister or group of ministers under power to act, the Cabinet may request that the minister report back to the Cabinet.

CABINET BUSINESS

Guidance on matters for collective agreement

44. Collective agreement can be sought at a Cabinet meeting or through ministerial correspondence.

45. As a general rule, ministers should put before their colleagues the sorts of issues on which they themselves would wish to be consulted—matters of public interest, importance, or controversy. The need to advise the Cabinet on these matters must be balanced against the demands that Cabinet meetings make on ministers' time.

46. Ministers should give serious consideration as to whether a matter could be dealt with by correspondence, for example where it is known that all interested ministers are in agreement (see Annex B – Managing the Cabinet business).

47. Where there is uncertainty about the level and type of consideration needed, ministers should seek advice from the Cabinet Secretary. Similarly, government departments should seek advice from the office of the portfolio minister, or from Cabinet Division.