Minister of state is a designation for agovernment minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as anhonorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior ministers. Conversely, in the United Kingdom and several otherCommonwealth countries, "minister of state" is a junior rank, subordinate to a minister of higher rank. Finally, in other countries such as Australia, Brazil and Japan, all government ministers hold the title of "minister of state".
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.
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'État in French) is an honorific title bestowed upon nomination as a Minister. Ministres d'État, in the protocol, rank after thePrime Minister and 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.
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 President andOffice 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'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 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.
Spain: WhenAdolfo Suárez wasPrime 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]
Turkey: AMinister of State (Turkish:Devlet Bakanı) was a post inTurkish 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) butLord Beaverbrook was 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-Mogg when he served as Minister of State for Government Efficiency.
In various nations, especially in former members of theBritish Empire, "Minister of State" is a junior ministerial rank, often subordinated to acabinet member.
Bangladesh: A Minister of State is a junior minister in theCabinet of Bangladesh who may assist a cabinet minister or be in charge of an independent ministry. Then the State Minister is known as Minister of State (Ministry Charge).
India: A Minister of State is a junior minister in theCouncil of Ministers in theUnion Government who may assist a cabinet minister or have independent charge of a ministry. TheConstitution of India restricts the total number of ministers in theCouncil of Ministers to 15% of total number of members in theHouse of the People at the Union level.[3] A similar restriction also exists at theState level.[4] 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.
Nigeria: A Minister of State is a junior Minister in theNigerian 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 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.[5]
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.
Australia: Section 64 of theCommonwealth constitution empowers theGovernor-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". TheMinisters of State Act 1952 defines the number of ministers only distinguishes between ministers andparliamentary secretaries (now known as assistant ministers). However, in practice ministers of state are divided into theCabinet and the outer ministry.[6] The only ministerial portfolio to have the term "minister of state" in the title isSpecial Minister of State.
In theNetherlands (Minister van Staat in Dutch) andBelgium (alsoMinistre d'État in French), Ministers of State is a title ofhonour 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, withmoral authority but without formal competence.
InBelgium they 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 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 calledState Secretary (staatssecretaris orsecrétaire 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.
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 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 wasKeith Holyoake, a former Prime Minister. Other prominent people to have held the office includeJim Bolger andRobin 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.
InFrance during theAncien Régime andBourbon 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 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.
From 28 January 1944, the last two BritishMinisters Resident in the Middle East, concerned with former BritishprotectorateEgypt, were styled Ministers of State in the Middle East.
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