Oral Answers to Questions — Coal Industry. – in the House of Commons am ar 8 Gorffennaf 1925.
Mr George Garro-Jones
, Hackney South
asked the Prime Minister whether the committee appointed to investigate the possibility of reducing the pay of new entrants to the Navy, Army, and Air Force has yet come to any conclusion; and, if not, whether he can say when he anticipates that their decision will be made known?
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
The Committee are making good progress, but owing to the prolonged examination necessary I am unable to say when their labours will be completed.
Mr George Garro-Jones
, Hackney South
In view of the fact that this question, conjointly with the question of marriage allowances to naval officers, is going to embitter the relations between the Chancellor of the exchequer and hip Cabinet colleagues, would it not be advisable—
Mr John Whitley
, Halifax
That is an improper preamble.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
