Minister without Portfolio
Encyclopedia
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry
. The sinecure
position is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition
governments and a cabinet
with decision making authority wherein a minister without portfolio, while he or she may not head any particular office or ministry, does have the right to cast a vote in cabinet decisions. In some countries where the executive branch is not composed of a coalition of parties and, more often, in countries with purely presidential system
s of government, such as the United States, the position (or an equivalent position) of minister without portfolio is uncommon.
Current ministers without portfolio, appointed on 28 November 2011, are:
appointment, it has been a role that numerous political notables have played over time, including former Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
, who filled the role in a Pearson cabinet in the 60s; John Turner
also "kept a seat warm" in a Pearson cabinet. Notable Conservatives who filled the role include R. B. Bennett, and Arthur Meighen
; however, Meighen served this role after he had been prime minister.
The title of Minister without Portfolio has been used off and on; however, in recent times the title has fallen out of favour, and the last minister without portfolio, Gilles Lamontagne
, was promoted to postmaster general
in 1978. The practice has continued under the guise of ministers of state
without responsibilities in the ministers' title, with Jay Hill
currently holding such a position (while concurrently serving as Chief Government Whip
).
.
After the Liberation of Denmark
in May 1945, the first Danish cabinet
included four Ministers without Portfolio. Among these were Danish ambassador
to the U.S. Henrik Kauffmann
who had conducted his own foreign policy throughout the war and refused to follow orders from Copenhagen as long as Denmark remained occupied by a foreign power. Kauffmann served in this capacity from 12 May to 7 November 1945. The three other holders of this title had joined the cabinet a few days before; Aksel Larsen
(Communist Party of Denmark
), Kr. Juul Christensen (Danish Unity
) and Frode Jakobsen
(Social Democrats
).
Lise Østergaard held a position as Minister without Portfolio with special attention to Foreign Policy Issues in Anker Jørgensen
's cabinet from 26 February 1977 to 28 February 1980.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
appointed Bertel Haarder
to Minister without Portfolio but effectively Minister for European Affairs. Haarder served in this capacity from 27 November 2001 to 18 February 2005. The reason for appointing a minister without a ministry
was due to the Danish European Union Presidency
of 2002 and Haarder was considered the most experienced Danish politician on European Affairs.
Since 1949, a Federal Minister for Special Affairs
(Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben) is a member of the Federal Government
that does not have charge of a Federal Ministry, although some have simultaneously been Chief of the Federal Chancellor's Office.
; such a person is referred to as a "Minister without portfolio" (Irish: Aire gan ceannas Roinne). Such a minister may nevertheless be given a specific title. The only minster without portfolio has been Frank Aiken
, the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures during World War II
. By the Emergency Powers Act 1939
then in force, the Minister for Defence
was able to delegate some competences to him. Such delegation is now done instead with Ministers of State
: "junior ministers" who are not members of the government.
to appoint ministers without portfolio as part of the coalition negotiations. All cabinets in recent years have had at least some such appointment. The full alphabetical list of Ministers without Portfolio since 1949 is:
to lead particular departments directly under the Presidency (or Presidium) of the Council of Ministers. Unlike the office of State Undersecretary to the Presidency, who fulfils duties in the Prime Minister's remit, Ministers without Portfolio enjoy the full status of ministers but do not lead an independent ministry. Departments on equalities
, European affairs and relations with Regions
, for example, are usually led by ministers without portfolio.
The last Berlusconi IV Cabinet
has had 11 ministers without portfolio:
The current Monti Cabinet
has 5 ministers without portfolio:
s is a minister that does not head a specific ministry
, but assumes the same power and responsibilities as a minister that does. The minister is responsible for a specific part of another minister's policy field. In that sense, a minister without portfolio is comparable to a staatssecretaris
(state secretary/junior minister) in Dutch politics, who also falls under another ministry and is responsible for a specific part of that minister's policy field. However, one distinct difference is the fact that a minister without portfolio is a member of the council of ministers
and can vote in it, whereas a state secretary is not. The minister for development cooperation
has always been a minister without portfolio.
In the second Balkenende cabinet
there were three ministers without portfolio: Agnes van Ardenne
(Development Cooperation
), Rita Verdonk
(Integration and Immigration) and Alexander Pechtold
(Government Reform and Kingdom Relations
).
In the fourth Balkenende cabinet
there are three ministers without portfolio: Eberhard van der Laan
(Housing, Neighbourhoods and Integration), Bert Koenders
(Development Cooperation) and André Rouvoet
, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Youth and Family.
from 1935 the Hon. Mark Fagan
was a "Minister without Portfolio" from 1935 to 1939, as was the Hon. David Wilson from 1939 to 1949. They were appointed to the upper house
and made a "minister without portfolio" to add them to the cabinet although neither were elected to a seat in Parliament.
In the Third National Government
, Keith Holyoake
was made a Minister of State 1975-77 after he had retired as party leader, and in the Fourth National Government
Robin Gray
was made a Minister of State 1993-96 after he had retired as Speaker (though he was also Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs). Both appointments were considered sinecure
s to avoid their return as 'backbencher
s'.
of the Republic of China
there are several such ministers, at one time. Currently, the ROC's ministers without portfolio are:
One of these posts is typically, but not always, reserved for the chairperson of the important Council for Economic Planning and Development
, who is usually considered a cabinet member but not officially so, and so requires the post to have the actual powers of a cabinet member.
position, and is sometimes used to get people such as the Chairman of the Conservative Party
or the Labour Party
Chairman into cabinet meetings (if so, they hold the title of "Party Chair
man"). The sinecure
positions of Lord Privy Seal
and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
can also be used for equivalent effect.
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
. The sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
position is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
governments and a cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
with decision making authority wherein a minister without portfolio, while he or she may not head any particular office or ministry, does have the right to cast a vote in cabinet decisions. In some countries where the executive branch is not composed of a coalition of parties and, more often, in countries with purely presidential system
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
s of government, such as the United States, the position (or an equivalent position) of minister without portfolio is uncommon.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh appoints ministers without portfolio during cabinet reshuffles or fresh appointments. Ministers are not usually appointed without portfolio as a coalition negotiation - all long run ministers end up with a portfolio.Current ministers without portfolio, appointed on 28 November 2011, are:
- Suranjit SenguptaSuranjit SenguptaSuranjit Sengupta is a senior Bangladesh Awami League politician in Bangladesh, and a Minister without Portfolio of the Government of Bangladesh since 28 November 2011.-Life and Career:...
- Obaidul Kader
Canada
While Minister without Portfolio is seen by some as a mere patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
appointment, it has been a role that numerous political notables have played over time, including former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, who filled the role in a Pearson cabinet in the 60s; John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
also "kept a seat warm" in a Pearson cabinet. Notable Conservatives who filled the role include R. B. Bennett, and Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
; however, Meighen served this role after he had been prime minister.
The title of Minister without Portfolio has been used off and on; however, in recent times the title has fallen out of favour, and the last minister without portfolio, Gilles Lamontagne
Gilles Lamontagne
Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne, PC, OC, CQ, CD was a Canadian politician and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec....
, was promoted to postmaster general
Postmaster General of Canada
The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department . In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain to the provincial governments of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward...
in 1978. The practice has continued under the guise of ministers of state
Minister of state (Canada)
A Minister of State is a junior cabinet minister in the Canadian Cabinet, usually given specific responsibilities to assist a senior cabinet minister in a specific area....
without responsibilities in the ministers' title, with Jay Hill
Jay Hill
Jay D. Hill PC is a former Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Prince George—Peace River from 1993 until his retirement in 2010. He also served as Government House Leader in the Canadian House of Commons during his...
currently holding such a position (while concurrently serving as Chief Government Whip
Chief Government Whip (Canada)
In Canada the Party Whip is the member of a political party in the Canadian House of Commons, the Canadian Senate or a provincial legislature charged with ensuring party discipline among members of the caucus...
).
Denmark
Three "control ministers" served as Ministers without Portfolio during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
After the Liberation of Denmark
Occupation of Denmark
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...
in May 1945, the first Danish cabinet
Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl II
The Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl II was the government of Denmark from May 5, 1945 until November 7 same year. The cabinet was popularly called "the Liberation Cabinet" since it was the first government after the liberation from the German occupation during World War II.It comprised 18 ministers, about...
included four Ministers without Portfolio. Among these were Danish ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the U.S. Henrik Kauffmann
Henrik Kauffmann
Henrik Kauffmann was the Danish ambassador to the United States during World War II. On April 9, 1941, the anniversary of the German occupation of Denmark, he signed on his own initiative "in the Name of the King" an "Agreement relating to the Defense of Greenland" authorizing the United States...
who had conducted his own foreign policy throughout the war and refused to follow orders from Copenhagen as long as Denmark remained occupied by a foreign power. Kauffmann served in this capacity from 12 May to 7 November 1945. The three other holders of this title had joined the cabinet a few days before; Aksel Larsen
Aksel Larsen
Aksel Larsen was a Danish politician who was chairman of the Communist Party of Denmark and chairman and founder of the Socialist People's Party. Larsen became leader of the Communist Party in 1932, and was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1932...
(Communist Party of Denmark
Communist Party of Denmark
Communist Party of Denmark is a communist political party in Denmark which was founded as Venstresocialistiske Parti in 1919. VSP was a split from the Danish Social Democratic Party. The party assumed its present name in 1920...
), Kr. Juul Christensen (Danish Unity
Danish Unity
Danish Unity was a political party in Denmark, founded in 1936 by Arne Sørensen. It contested elections in 1939, 1943, 1945, 1947, April 1953 and then once more in 1964. It remains as a political organisation....
) and Frode Jakobsen
Frode Jakobsen
Frode Jakobsen, , was a Danish author and politician who is remembered for his contribution to Danish resistance activities during the German occupation of Denmark in the Second World War.In 1941, Jakobsen formed Ringen or the Ring, a secret resistance organisation...
(Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
).
Lise Østergaard held a position as Minister without Portfolio with special attention to Foreign Policy Issues in Anker Jørgensen
Anker Jørgensen
Anker Jørgensen is a former Danish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He led or represented the Social Democratic Party for well over 30 years.-Early political and personal life:...
's cabinet from 26 February 1977 to 28 February 1980.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
appointed Bertel Haarder
Bertel Haarder
Bertel Geismar Haarder is a Danish politician. He represents Venstre, the Danish liberal party. From November 2001 to February 2005 he was Minister for Refugees, Immigrants and Integration in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I, and enacted a policy of tough measures designed to limit the...
to Minister without Portfolio but effectively Minister for European Affairs. Haarder served in this capacity from 27 November 2001 to 18 February 2005. The reason for appointing a minister without a ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
was due to the Danish European Union Presidency
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
of 2002 and Haarder was considered the most experienced Danish politician on European Affairs.
Germany
- Wilhelm FrickWilhelm FrickWilhelm Frick was a prominent German Nazi official serving as Minister of the Interior of the Third Reich. After the end of World War II, he was tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed...
(1936-1943) - Arthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-Inquart was a Chancellor of Austria, lawyer and later Nazi official in pre-Anschluss Austria, the Third Reich and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands...
(1939-1945) - Hjalmar SchachtHjalmar SchachtDr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic...
(1939-1943)
Since 1949, a Federal Minister for Special Affairs
Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany
A Federal Minister for Special Affairs is a federal minister without portfolio of Germany.Currently, the title is commonly given to the head of the Chancellery to provide him with a vote in cabinet meetings...
(Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben) is a member of the Federal Government
Cabinet of Germany
The Cabinet of Germany is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Chancellor and the cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's organization are set down in articles 62 to 69 of the Basic Law.-Nomination:...
that does not have charge of a Federal Ministry, although some have simultaneously been Chief of the Federal Chancellor's Office.
Ireland
The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1939 (Section 4) allows a member of the Government of Ireland not to have charge of a Department of StateDepartment of State (Ireland)
A Department of State of Ireland, is a department or ministry of the Government of Ireland. The head of such a department is a Minister of the Government , often called a 'cabinet minister' or 'government minister' which should not be confused with Minister of State which is a junior non-cabinet...
; such a person is referred to as a "Minister without portfolio" (Irish: Aire gan ceannas Roinne). Such a minister may nevertheless be given a specific title. The only minster without portfolio has been Frank Aiken
Frank Aiken
Frank Aiken was a commander of the Irish Republican Army and later an Irish politician. A founding-member of Fianna Fáil, Aiken was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1923 and at each subsequent election until 1973...
, the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. By the Emergency Powers Act 1939
Emergency Powers Act 1939
The Emergency Powers Act 1939 is an act of the Oireachtas enacted on 3 September 1939 after an official state of emergency had been declared on 2 September 1939...
then in force, the Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Ireland)
The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....
was able to delegate some competences to him. Such delegation is now done instead with Ministers of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
: "junior ministers" who are not members of the government.
Israel
It is common practice in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to appoint ministers without portfolio as part of the coalition negotiations. All cabinets in recent years have had at least some such appointment. The full alphabetical list of Ministers without Portfolio since 1949 is:
- Yosef AlmogiYosef AlmogiYosef Aharon Almogi was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1955 and 1977, as well as holding several ministerial posts.-Biography:...
(1961–62) - Shulamit AloniShulamit AloniShulamit Aloni is an Israeli politician and left-wing activist. She is a prominent member of the Israeli peace camp, founded the Ratz party and was leader of the Meretz party and served as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993.-Biography:...
(1974, 1993) - Yehuda AmitalYehuda AmitalYehuda Amital was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:Amital was born in Oradea in Romania. When Germany occupied the area in 1944, the Nazis sent his entire family to Auschwitz where they were killed. Amital was sent to...
(1995–96) - Shaul AmorShaul AmorShaul Amor was an Israeli politician who served as a Minister without Portfolio between January and July 1999.-Biography:Born in Boujad, Morocco in 1940, Amor made aliyah in 1956. He studied at the Social Work institute in Haifa, and served as mayor of Migdal HaEmek.In 1988 he was elected to the...
(1999) - Zalman AranZalman Aran-Biography:Aran was born Zalman Aharonowitz in 1899 in Yuzovka in the Russian Empire , and received a religious education in a heder. He later studied agriculture in Kharkov. In his youth, he was active in Tze'irei Zion, and in 1917 became a member of the "Self-Defense Organization Committee" of...
(1954–55) - Moshe ArensMoshe ArensMoshe Arens is an Israeli aeronautical engineer, researcher and former diplomat and politician. A member of the Knesset between 1973 and 1992 and again from 1999 until 2003, he served as Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Arens has also served as the Israeli...
(1984–86, 1987–88) - Ruhama AvrahamRuhama AvrahamRuhama Avraham Balila is an Israeli politician. A member of the Knesset for Kadima, she has previously served as Minister of Tourism and Minister without Portfolio responsible for liaison with the Knesset.-Biography:...
(2007–08) - Ami AyalonAmi AyalonAmihai "Ami" Ayalon is an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. He was previously head of the Shin Bet, Israel's secret service, and commander-in-chief of the Navy...
(2007–08) - Yisrael BarzilaiYisrael BarzilaiYisrael Barzilai was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Biography:Born in an area that was later to become part of Poland), Barzilai joined Hashomer Hatzair at the age of 11. In 1932 he moved to Paris to study, before making aliyah to...
(1969–70) - Benny Begin (2009)
- Menachem BeginMenachem Begin' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
(1967–70) - Mordechai Ben-PoratMordechai Ben-PoratMordechai Ben-Porat is a former Israeli politician who served as Minister without Portfolio from July 1982 until January 1984. During his four terms in the Knesset, he represented five different parties.-Biography:...
(1982–84) - Yosef BurgYosef BurgYosef Shlomo Burg was an Israeli politician. In 1949, he was elected to the first Knesset, and served in many ministerial positions for the next 40 years. He was one of the founders of the National Religious Party.-Biography:...
(1984) - Eitan Cabel (2006–07)
- Ra'anan CohenRa'anan CohenDr Ra'anan Cohen is a former Israeli politician who served as a government minister during the early 2000s.-Biography:Born in Baghdad in Iraq, Cohen made aliyah in 1951. During his youth he was a counsellor in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth movement, and was secretary of the Labor Party youth...
(2001–02) - Yitzhak CohenYitzhak CohenRabbi Yitzhak Cohen is an Israeli politician who has served as a member of the Knesset for Shas since 1996, and is the current Deputy Minister of Finance.-Biography:Born in Ashkelon, Cohen served on the city's council and was its former deputy mayor....
(2006–08) - Aryeh DeriAryeh DeriAryeh Deri is an Israeli politician, and former leader of Israel's Shas Party.-Biography:After Deri was convicted of taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as Interior Minister and given a three-year jail sentence in 2000, he was replaced by Eli Yishai...
(1983) - Aryeh DolchinAryeh DolchinArieh Dulchin was a Zionist activist who served as a Minister without Portfolio between December 1969 and August 1970, though he was never a member of the Knesset....
(1969–70) - Sarah DoronSarah DoronSarah Doron was a former Israeli politician who served as a Minister without Portfolio from July 1983 until September 1984.-Biography:Born in Kaunas in Lithuania, Doron made aliyah to Mandate Palestine in 1933...
(1983–84)
- Abba EbanAbba EbanAbba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician.In his career he was Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ambassador to the United States and to the United Nations...
(1959–60) - Rafael EdriRafael EdriRafael Edri is a former Israeli politician who served as Minister of the Environment and Minister without Portfolio between 1988 and 1990.-Biohgraphy:...
(1988–90) - Yaakov EdriYaakov EdriYa'akov Edri is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Kadima. Formerly Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of Health and a Minister without Portfolio, Edri is the Minister of Negev and Galilee Development in the current government....
(2006–07) - Effi EitamEffi EitamEfraim "Effi" Eitam is an Israeli politician. A former leader of the National Religious Party, he later led a breakaway faction, Ahi, which merged into Likud in 2009. He served as a member of the Knesset between 2003 and 2009.-Biography:...
(2002) - Yisrael GaliliYisrael GaliliYisrael Galili was an Israeli politician, government minister and member of Knesset. Before Israel's independence in 1948, he had served as Chief of Staff of the Haganah.-Biography:...
(1966–67, 1969–77) - Akiva GovrinAkiva GovrinAkiva Govrin was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister between December 1963 and January 1966, and was the country's first Minister of Tourism.-Biography:...
(1963–64) - Mordechai GurMordechai GurFollowing his retirement from the IDF, Gur was appointed as the general manager of Kur Mechanica company. In 1981 he was elected to the Knesset as a member of the Alignment. Re-elected in 1984, he served as Minister of Health and was also a member of the Knesset's Security and Foreign Affairs...
(1988–90) - Gideon HausnerGideon HausnerGideon Hausner was an Israeli jurist and politician. Between 1960 and 1963 he served as Attorney General, and was later elected to the Knesset and served in the cabinet....
(1974–77) - Yigal HurvitzYigal HurvitzYigal Hurvitz was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister in the late 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Hurvitz was born in Nahlat Yehuda in 1918. Between 1938 and 1941 he was a member of the secretariat of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, and served in the Jewish Brigade during World War II...
(1984–88) - Haim LandauHaim LandauHaim Landau was an Israeli independence fighter, Knesset member and Minister in the government of Menachem Begin.-Career:Landau was born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary and made aliyah to Mandate Palestine in 1935...
(1978–79) - Pinhas LavonPinhas LavonPinhas Lavon was an Israeli politician, minister and labor leader, best known for the Lavon Affair.-Early life:Lavon was born as Pinhas Lubianiker in Kopychyntsi in what was previously Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied law at the University of Lviv, where he organized Histadrut organizations...
(1952–54) - David LevyDavid Levy (Israeli politician)David Levy is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1969 and 2006, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of Housing & Construction and as a Minister without Portfolio...
(2002) - Yitzhak LevyYitzhak LevyRabbi Yitzhak Levy is an Israeli rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party and the Ahi faction of the National Union between 1988 and 2009...
(2002) - Tzipi LivniTzipi LivniTzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...
(2001–02) - David MagenDavid MagenDavid Magen is a former Israeli politician who served as a Minister without Portfolio and Minister of Economics and Planning in the 1990s.-Biography:...
(1990) - Raleb MajadeleRaleb MajadeleGhaleb Majadele is an Israeli Arab politician. A member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, he became the country's first Muslim minister when appointed Minister without Portfolio on 28 January 2007.-Biography:...
(2007) - Dan MeridorDan MeridorDan Meridor is an Israeli politician and minister. A longtime member of the Likud party, in the late 1990s he became one of the founders of the Centre Party. He rejoined Likud in the early 2000s, and returned to the Knesset following the 2009 elections...
(2001–03) - Yitzhak Moda'iYitzhak Moda'iYitzhak Moda'i was an Israeli politician, who served five terms in the Knesset for Likud and then the New Liberal Party over the course of a 20-year career.-Biography:...
(1981–82, 1986–88)
- Peretz NaftaliPeretz NaftaliPeretz Naftali was a Zionist activist and Israeli politician who served in several ministerial portfolios in the 1950s.-Biography:Born in Berlin in Germany, Naftali joined the Social Democratic Party in 1911...
(1951–52, 1955–59) - Meshulam NahariMeshulam NahariRabbi Meshulam Nahari is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the ultra-orthodox party Shas. He is a Minister without Portfolio serving in the Finance Ministry in the current government.-Background:...
(since 2006) - Dan NavehDan NavehDan Naveh is a former member of the Israeli Knesset for the Likud party, and a former minister in the Israeli government. Currently he is the founder and the Managing General Partner of Agate medical investments.-Biography:...
(2001–03) - Moshe NissimMoshe NissimMoshe Nissim is a former Israeli politician, minister and Deputy Prime Minister.-Background:Born in Mandate Palestine, Nissim studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining an MA. He was an Officer of Justice in the IDF during his national service, and went on to work as an attorney...
(1978–80, 1988–90) - Ehud OlmertEhud OlmertEhud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
(1988–90) - Yossi PeledYossi PeledYossi Peled is an Israeli general and politician, the former Aluf of the Northern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud.-Early life:...
(2009) - Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
(1969) - Yitzhak PeretzYitzhak Peretz (politician born 1938)Rabbi Yitzhak Haim Peretz is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Biography:...
(1984, 1987–88) - Haim RamonHaim RamonHaim Ramon is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1983 and 2009, and as both Vice Prime Minister and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with responsibility for state policy.-Biography:...
(2005) - Pinchas SapirPinchas SapirPinchas Sapir was an Israeli politician during the first three decades following the country's founding.He held two important ministerial posts, Minister of Finance and Minister of Trade and Industry as well as several other high-ranking governmental posts...
(1968–69) - Yosef SapirYosef SapirYosef Sapir was an Israeli politician and Knesset member of the 1st to 7th Knessets. He served as head of the General Zionists and was a founding member of the Gahal party....
(1967–69) - Avner ShakiAvner ShakiAvner-Hai Shaki was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Biography:Born in Safed during the Mandate era, Shaki studied law, gaining a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...
(1988–90) - Yosef ShapiraYosef ShapiraYosef Shapira is an Israeli educator who served as Minister without Portfolio between 1984 and 1988, although he was never a member of the Knesset.Born in Jerusalem, Shapira was amongst the leadership of Bnei Akiva and the National Religious Party....
(1984–88) - Ariel SharonAriel SharonAriel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
(1983–84) - Victor Shem-TovVictor Shem-TovVictor Shem-Tov is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios in the late 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:Born in Bulgaria to a family of Samokov goldsmiths, Shem-Tov mostly lived in the capital Sofia and was a member of the Maccabi Youth movement. He made aliyah in 1939, the...
(1969–70) - Salah TarifSalah TarifSalah Tarif is a Druze Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 2006. When appointed Minister without Portfolio by Ariel Sharon in 2001, he became Israel's first non-Jewish government minister.-Biography:...
(2001–02) - Ezer WeizmanEzer Weizman' was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense.-Biography:...
(1984–88) - Dov YosefDov YosefDov Yosef was an Israeli politician and statesman. Yosef served in a variety of ministerial positions during the first two Knessets and was the country's second Minister of Justice, serving twice .-Background:...
(1952–53) - Rehavam Ze'evi (1991–92)
Italy
In the Italian government, Ministers without Portfolio are nominated by the President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) and formally appointed by the President of the RepublicPresident of the Italian Republic
The President of the Italian Republic is the head of state of Italy and, as such, is intended to represent national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years....
to lead particular departments directly under the Presidency (or Presidium) of the Council of Ministers. Unlike the office of State Undersecretary to the Presidency, who fulfils duties in the Prime Minister's remit, Ministers without Portfolio enjoy the full status of ministers but do not lead an independent ministry. Departments on equalities
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
, European affairs and relations with Regions
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
, for example, are usually led by ministers without portfolio.
The last Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet
Berlusconi IV Cabinet has been the cabinet of the government of Italy from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011.As of July 2011, it was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members.-Sources:*...
has had 11 ministers without portfolio:
- Umberto BossiUmberto BossiUmberto Bossi is an Italian politician, leader of the Northern League, a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy. He is married to Manuela Marrone and has four sons ....
(Reforms for Federalism) - Michela Vittoria BrambillaMichela Vittoria BrambillaMichela Vittoria Brambilla is an Italian politician and businesswoman. On May 12th 2008, she is nominated undersecretary in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet...
(Tourism), from May 8 2009 - Aldo BrancherAldo BrancherAldo Brancher is an Italian politician. He served as a Minister without portfolio in the Government of Silvio Berlusconi for 17 days in June/July 2010, but was forced to resign due to a pending court case.-Early career:...
(Subsidiarity and Decentralization), from June 18 2010 to July 6 2010 - Renato BrunettaRenato BrunettaRenato Brunetta is an Italian economist and politician and, as of May 2008, a minister in the Berlusconi government.He is a former member of the Italian Socialist Party, Member of the European Parliament for the North-East from 2004 to 2009 with the Forza Italia, part of the European People's...
(Public Administration and Innovation) - Roberto CalderoliRoberto CalderoliRoberto Calderoli is an Italian politician and a member of the Senate of Italy. He is currently a Minister without portfolio for Legislative Simplification in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet....
(Law Simplification) - Mara CarfagnaMara CarfagnaMaria Rosaria Carfagna is an Italian politician and former showgirl and topless model. After obtaining a degree in law, Carfagna worked for several years on Italian television shows and as a model. She later entered politics and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia party in 2006...
(Equalities) - Raffaele FittoRaffaele FittoRaffaele Fitto is an Italian politician, current Minister for Regional Business in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.-Biography:Raffaele Fitto was born in Maglie, Province of Lecce. His father, Salvatore Fitto, who was an exponent of the Christian Democracy and President of Apulia from 1985, died in...
(Relations with Regions and Territorial Cohesion) - Giorgia MeloniGiorgia Meloni-Biography:Giorgia Meloni was born on January 15, 1977 in Rome, Italy. in 1996, she graduated from the Amerigo Vespucci Institute in Foreign Languages...
(Youth) - Andrea RonchiAndrea RonchiAndrea Ronchi is an Italian politician, former Italian Minister of Community Policy.-Biography:Andrea Ronchi was born in Perugia, Umbria. He graduated in political science and worked as a journalist. He was a founding member of the National Alliance party.In 2001, he joined the House of...
(European Policies), vacant since November 17 2010 - Gianfranco RotondiGianfranco RotondiGianfranco Rotondi is an Italian politician, and the current leader of the Christian Democracy for Autonomies since June 2005.- Biography :Rotondi was born in Avellino, Campania....
(Government Program Implementation) - Elio VitoElio Vito-Biography:Elio Vito was born on November 12, 1964 in Naples, Italy. He received a degree in Sociology from the University of Naples.He became a member of Forza Italia in 1994, and of People of Freedom in 2008. From 1988 to 1992, he was a councillor for Naples...
(Relations with Parliament)
The current Monti Cabinet
Monti Cabinet
The Monti cabinet is the incumbent cabinet of the government of Italy and was announced on 16 November 2011. The cabinet is composed of technocrats, three of whom are women. It includes 12 ministers with portfolio, and five without portfolio.-References:...
has 5 ministers without portfolio:
- Pietro Giarda (Parliament)
- Fabrizio Barca (Territorial cohesion)
- Piero Gnudi (Tourism and sport)
- Enzo Moavero Milanesi (European affairs)
- Andrea RiccardiAndrea RiccardiAndrea Riccardi is the founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. "The Community of Saint Egidio was born in 1968 in Rome and is made up of more than 70,000 persons in more than 70 countries actively involved above all in evangelization and in the service to one’s neighbor, especially the most...
(International cooperation)
Netherlands
A Minister without Portfolio in the NetherlandNetherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
s is a minister that does not head a specific ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
, but assumes the same power and responsibilities as a minister that does. The minister is responsible for a specific part of another minister's policy field. In that sense, a minister without portfolio is comparable to a staatssecretaris
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
(state secretary/junior minister) in Dutch politics, who also falls under another ministry and is responsible for a specific part of that minister's policy field. However, one distinct difference is the fact that a minister without portfolio is a member of the council of ministers
Council of Ministers of the Netherlands
The Dutch Council of Ministers is the executive council of Dutch government, formed by all the ministers. This executive council initiates laws and policy. The Council of Ministers is distinct from the Cabinet which also includes state secretaries...
and can vote in it, whereas a state secretary is not. The minister for development cooperation
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
has always been a minister without portfolio.
In the second Balkenende cabinet
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy , Christian Democratic Appeal , and Democrats 66 , which is the smallest of the three.On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for...
there were three ministers without portfolio: Agnes van Ardenne
Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven
Anna Maria Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven is a former Dutch politician and diplomat.- References :...
(Development Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development...
), Rita Verdonk
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
(Integration and Immigration) and Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006...
(Government Reform and Kingdom Relations
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
).
In the fourth Balkenende cabinet
Fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal , Labour Party , and ChristianUnion . The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet following the 2006 election, and was installed by Queen Beatrix...
there are three ministers without portfolio: Eberhard van der Laan
Eberhard van der Laan
Eberhard Edzard van der Laan is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He has been the Mayor of Amsterdam since July 7, 2010. Before serving as Mayor he was Minister of Integration and Housing in the Cabinet Balkenende IV succeeding the sacked Ella Vogelaar...
(Housing, Neighbourhoods and Integration), Bert Koenders
Bert Koenders
Albert Gerard "Bert" Koenders is a former Dutch politician. He was Minister for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands from 2007 until 2010...
(Development Cooperation) and André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet is a former Dutch politician of the ChristianUnion . First as a member of the RPF until the party merged with the Reformed Political League to form the ChristianUnion. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 17, 1994 until February 22, 2007...
, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Youth and Family.
New Zealand
In the First Labour GovernmentFirst Labour Government of New Zealand
The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention...
from 1935 the Hon. Mark Fagan
Mark Fagan
Mark Anthony Fagan was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and a union secretary. He stood several times for Labour but was not elected, although he was on Labour’s National Executive from 1930. In 1935 he was appointed to the Legislative Council, where he was Speaker, to 1947...
was a "Minister without Portfolio" from 1935 to 1939, as was the Hon. David Wilson from 1939 to 1949. They were appointed to the upper house
New Zealand Legislative Council
The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...
and made a "minister without portfolio" to add them to the cabinet although neither were elected to a seat in Parliament.
In the Third National Government
Third National Government of New Zealand
The Third National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984. It was an economically and socially conservative government, which aimed to preserve the Keynesian economic system established by the First Labour government while also being socially conservative...
, Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
was made a Minister of State 1975-77 after he had retired as party leader, and in the Fourth National Government
Fourth National Government of New Zealand
The Fourth National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 2 November 1990 to 27 November 1999. Following in the footsteps of the previous Labour government, the fourth National government embarked on an extensive programme of spending cuts...
Robin Gray
Robin Gray (New Zealand)
Sir Robert "Robin" McDowall Gray is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 1996, and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1990 and 1993.-Early life:Gray was born in Borgue, Scotland...
was made a Minister of State 1993-96 after he had retired as Speaker (though he was also Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs). Both appointments were considered sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
s to avoid their return as 'backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
s'.
Norway
From 2009 Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen (Labour) has been Minister without Portfolio and Chief of Staff in the Prime Ministers Office, where his job is to co-ordinate within government.Serbia
From 2007 to 2008, Dragan Đilas was a "minister without portfolio" in charge of the National Investment Plan.Republic of China (Taiwan)
In the Executive YuanExecutive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
there are several such ministers, at one time. Currently, the ROC's ministers without portfolio are:
- Yiin Chil-ming (殷啟銘)
- Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗)
- Chang Jin-fu (張進福)
- Kao Su-po (高思博), also serving as Minister of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs
- Fan Liang-shiow (范良琇), also serving as Minster of Public Construction CommissionPublic Construction CommissionPublic Construction Commission is an independent government agency of the Executive Yuan which is responsible for formulating policies and developing national infrastructure, public construction projects such as roads, bridges, highways in the Free Area of the Republic of China...
- James Cherng-Tay Hsueh (薛承泰), also serving as Governor of Fujian Province
- Liang Chi-yuan (梁啟源)
- Lin Junq-tzer (林政則), also serving as Governor of Taiwan ProvinceTaiwan ProvinceTaiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...
One of these posts is typically, but not always, reserved for the chairperson of the important Council for Economic Planning and Development
Council for Economic Planning and Development
Council for Economic Planning and Development is a government agency responsible for drafting overall plans for national economic development in the Free Area of the Republic of China. It also assesses development projects, proposals and programmes submitted to the Executive Yuan...
, who is usually considered a cabinet member but not officially so, and so requires the post to have the actual powers of a cabinet member.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, it is often a CabinetCabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
position, and is sometimes used to get people such as the Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
or the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Chairman into cabinet meetings (if so, they hold the title of "Party Chair
Party Chair
In politics, a party chair is the presiding officer of a political party....
man"). The sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
positions of Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
can also be used for equivalent effect.
- The Duke of PortlandWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of PortlandWilliam Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
(WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (1805-1806) - The Earl Fitzwilliam (WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (1806-1807) - The Marquess Camden (Tory) (1812)
- The Earl MulgraveHenry Phipps, 1st Earl of MulgraveHenry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave GCB, PC , styled The Honourable Henry Phipps until 1792 and known as The Lord Mulgrave from 1792 to 1812, was a British soldier and politician...
(Tory) (1819-1820) - The Marquess of LansdowneHenry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of LansdowneHenry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne KG, PC, FRS , known as Lord Henry Petty from 1784 to 1809 and then as The Earl of Kerry to 1818, was a British statesman...
(WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (Apr-Jul 1827 and 1852-1858) - The Duke of Portland (Tory) (Jul-Sep 1827)
- The Earl of CarlisleGeorge Howard, 6th Earl of CarlisleGeorge Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC, FRS , styled Viscount Morpeth until 1825, was a British statesman...
(Tory and WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (1830-1834) - The Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(Tory) (1841-1846) - Lord John RussellJohn Russell, 1st Earl RussellJohn Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
(LiberalLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (1853-1854) - Spencer Horatio WalpoleSpencer Horatio WalpoleSpencer Horatio Walpole, QC, LLD was a British Conservative politician who served three times as Home Secretary in the administrations of Lord Derby.-Background and education:...
(LiberalLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and WhigBritish Whig PartyThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
) (1867-1868) - Sir Michael Hicks Beach (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1887-1888) - The Marquess of LansdowneHenry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of LansdowneHenry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British politician and Irish peer who served successively as the fifth Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs...
(Liberal UnionistLiberal Unionist PartyThe Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
) (1915-1916) - Arthur HendersonArthur HendersonArthur Henderson was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and he served three short terms as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1908–1910, 1914–1917 and 1931-1932....
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1916-1917) - Lord Milner (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1916-1918) - Austen ChamberlainAusten ChamberlainSir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG was a British statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and half-brother of Neville Chamberlain.- Early life and career :...
(Conservative Party) (April 1918 - January 1919) - Jan SmutsJan SmutsJan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
(South African PartySouth African PartyThe South African Party was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934.-History:The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South African general election under the leadership of Louis Botha...
and United PartyUnited Party (South Africa)The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
) (1917-1919)
- Sir Edward CarsonEdward Carson, Baron CarsonEdward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, PC , Kt, QC , often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson, was a barrister, judge and politician from Ireland...
(Irish Unionist Alliance and Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
) (1917-1919) - George BarnesGeorge Nicoll BarnesGeorge Nicoll Barnes CH PC was a Scottish politician and a leader of the Labour Party.Barnes was born in Lochee, Dundee, the second of five sons of James Barnes, a skilled engineer and mill manager from Yorkshire, and his wife, Catherine Adam Langlands...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1917-1920) - Sir Eric Geddes (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (Jan-Oct 1919) - Sir Laming Worthington-EvansLaming Worthington-EvansSir Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans, 1st Baronet GBE, PC was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:Born Laming Evans, he was the son of Worthington Evans and Susanah Laming...
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1920-1921) - Christopher Addison (LiberalLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1921-1922) - Anthony EdenAnthony EdenRobert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (Jun-Dec 1935) - Lord Eustace PercyEustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of NewcastleEustace Sutherland Campbell Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle PC , styled Lord Eustace Percy between 1899 and 1953, was a British diplomat, Conservative politician and public servant...
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1935-1936) - Leslie BurginLeslie BurginEdward Leslie Burgin was a British Liberal and later Liberal National politician in the 1930s.Burgin trained as a solicitor specialising in international law and served as principal and director of legal studies to the Law Society...
(National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (UK, 1931)The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
) (Apr-Jul 1939) - Lord HankeyMaurice Hankey, 1st Baron HankeyMaurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a British civil servant who gained prominence as the first Cabinet Secretary and who later made the rare transition from the civil service to ministerial office.-Life and career:The third son of R. A...
(1939-1940) - Arthur GreenwoodArthur GreenwoodArthur Greenwood CH was a prominent member of the Labour Party from the 1920s until the late 1940s. He rose to prominence within the party as secretary of its research department from 1920 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health in the short-lived Labour government of 1924...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1940-1942) - Sir William Jowitt (LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1942-1944) - A. V. AlexanderA. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of HillsboroughAlbert Victor Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough KG, CH, PC was a British Labour Co-operative politician. He was three times First Lord of the Admiralty, including during the Second World War, and then Minister of Defence under Clement Attlee.-Background:Born in Weston-super-Mare and...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (Oct-Dec 1946) - Arthur GreenwoodArthur GreenwoodArthur Greenwood CH was a prominent member of the Labour Party from the 1920s until the late 1940s. He rose to prominence within the party as secretary of its research department from 1920 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health in the short-lived Labour government of 1924...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (Apr-Sept 1947) - The Earl of MunsterGeoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of MunsterSir Geoffrey William Richard Hugh FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster KBE PC , was a British peer and Conservative politician....
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1954-1957) - Viscount Mills (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1961-1962)
- William Francis Deedes (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1962-1964) - Lord Carrington (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1963-1964) - George Morgan Thomson (LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
) (1968-1969) - Lord Drumalbyn (Unionist Party and National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (UK, 1931)The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
) (1970-1974) - Lord Young (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1984-1985) - Jeremy HanleyJeremy HanleySir Jeremy James Hanley, KCMG , is a politician and chartered accountant from the United Kingdom. He served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994-95, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Richmond and Barnes from 1983-97.Hanley was educated at Rugby School,...
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1994-1995) - Brian MawhinneyBrian MawhinneyBrian Stanley Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney PC is a British Conservative Party politician. He was a member of the Cabinet from 1994 until 1997 and a Member of Parliament from 1979 until 2005.-Early life:...
(ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (1995-1997) - Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (1997-1998) - Charles ClarkeCharles ClarkeCharles Rodway Clarke is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.-Early life:...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (2001-2002) - John Reid (LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (2002-2003) - Ian McCartneyIan McCartneySir Ian McCartney is a former politician, who was the British Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency between 1987 to 2010, and served in the Cabinet, from 2003 to 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (2003-2006) - Hazel BlearsHazel BlearsHazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
(LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) (2006-2007) - Baroness Warsi (ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) (2010-present)
External links
- List of Canadian Ministers Without Portfolio and Ministers of State (Parliament of Canada Website)
- Taiwanese Ministers Without Portfolio