Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Commerce. – in the House of Commons am ar 7 Rhagfyr 1926.
Mr Herbert Williams
, Reading
asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can now state when the whole or any part of the Report on the Census of Production is likely to be published?
Mr Philip Lloyd-Greame
, Hendon
I hope that the publication of preliminary summaries for the separate trades may be begun early in the New Year. I propose to issue these preliminary reports in the Board of Trade Journal as they become available.
Mr Neil Maclean
, Glasgow Govan
I would like to ask the right hon. Gentleman if he will circulate the film in which the Cabinet appears?
Mr Philip Lloyd-Greame
, Hendon
No, Sir, that is not the Census of Production.
Mr Neil Maclean
, Glasgow Govan
It is not even a sensible production.
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.
