Cabinet Office

This article is about the Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom. For other Cabinet Offices, see Cabinet Office (disambiguation).

Cabinet Office

File:Cabinet Office logo.svg
Cabinet Office, Whitehall, London
Department overview
Formed	December 1916
Preceding Department	Committee of Imperial Defence
Jurisdiction	United Kingdom
Headquarters	70 Whitehall, London, England 51°30′13″N 0°7′36″W
Employees	8,270 (As of June 2020)
Annual budget	£2.1 billion (current) & £400 million (capital) for 2011–12
Ministers responsible	Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister Rt Hon. Michael Gove MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office
Department executives	Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary Alex Chisholm, Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary
Child agencies	Crown Commercial Service Government Equalities Office
Website	Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objectives via other departments. It currently has just under 8,000 staff, some of whom work in Whitehall. Staff working in the Prime Minister's Office are part of the Cabinet Office.

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Office's core functions are:

• Supporting collective government, helping to ensure the effective development, coordination and implementation of policy;
• Supporting the National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Organisation, coordinating the government's response to crises and managing the UK's cyber security;
• Promoting efficiency and reform across government through innovation, transparency, better procurement and project management, by transforming the delivery of services, and improving the capability of the Civil Service;
• Political and constitutional reform.

The Cabinet Office has responsibility for the following at a UK national level:

• the Home Civil Service
• the Boundary Commissions
• the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
• the Government Commercial Function and the Government Commercial Organisation.
• the Government digital, data and technology (DDaT) function through the Government Digital Service

History

The department was formed in December 1916 from the secretariat of the Committee of Imperial Defence under Sir Maurice Hankey, the first Cabinet Secretary.

Traditionally the most important part of the Cabinet Office's role was facilitating collective decision-making by the Cabinet, through running and supporting Cabinet-level committees. This is still its principal role, but since the absorption of some of the functions of the Civil Service Department in 1981 the Cabinet Office has also helped to ensure that a wide range of Ministerial priorities are taken forward across Whitehall.

It also contains miscellaneous units that do not sit well in other departments. For example:

• The Historical Section was founded in 1906 as part of the Committee for Imperial Defence and is concerned with Official Histories.
• The Joint Intelligence Committee was founded in 1936 and transferred to the department in 1957. It deals with intelligence assessments and directing the national intelligence organisations of the UK.
• The Ceremonial Branch was founded in 1937 and transferred to the department in 1981. It was originally concerned with all ceremonial functions of state, but today it handles honours and appointments.

In modern times the Cabinet Office often takes on responsibility for areas of policy which are the priority of the Government of the time. The units that administer these areas migrate in and out of the Cabinet Office as government priorities (and governments) change.

Ministers and Civil Servants

The Cabinet Office Ministers are as follows:

Minister	Rank	Portfolio
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP	Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil Service Minister for the Union	Head of government; oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies; appoints members of the government; he is the principal government figure in the House of Commons.
The Rt Hon. Michael Gove MP	Minister for the Cabinet Office Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Oversight of all Cabinet Office policy and appointments; oversight of transition period activity and our future relations with the EU; oversight of constitutional policy and enhancement, defending democracy and electoral law, devolution issues and strengthening the Union; leading cross-government and public sector transformation and efficiency; oversight of cross-government work on veterans’ issues; oversight of Cabinet Office responsibilities on National Security and resilience, and the Civil Contingencies; Secretariat, including COVID-19 supporting the coordination of the cross-government and the devolution aspects of the response to COVID-19.
The Rt Hon. Alok Sharma MP	COP26 President	Leading preparations for the 26th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), to be held in Glasgow in November 2021; Chairing the Climate Action Implementation Cabinet Committee to coordinate government action towards net zero by 2050.
The Rt Hon. The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park	Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal	Management and delivery of the Government's legislative programme (through the House of Lords) and facilitating the passage of individual bills; Leading the House (in the Chamber and as a key member of domestic committees to do with procedure, conduct, and the internal governance of the House); Issues connected to the House of Lords and its governance; Speaking for the Government in the Chamber on a range of issues, including repeating in the House of Lords statements made to the Commons by the Prime Minister; Ceremonial and other duties as the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Frost	Minister of State at the Cabinet Office	Oversight of the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and Withdrawal Agreement, including the Northern Ireland protocol; UK co-chair of the Joint Committee and Partnership Council; Oversight of the effective conduct of EU related business with the EU and its Member States; Supporting the coordination of cross-Government positions on trade issues; Oversight of the development of cross-Government work on maximising the economic and political opportunities flowing from EU exit; Oversight of domestic transition readiness (held jointly with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster until 12th April).
The Rt Hon. Amanda Milling MP	Minister without Portfolio	Supporting the Cabinet Office; The Minister without Portfolio is a member of Cabinet.
The Rt Hon. Jacob Rees-Mogg MP	Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council	The Government's Legislative Programme, chairing the Cabinet Committee; Managing and announcing the business of the House of Commons weekly and facilitating motions and debate in the Chamber, particularly on House business; Government's representative in the House (sitting on the House of Commons Commission, Public Accounts Commission, and the Speaker's Committees on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority); House of Commons representative in Government; Parliamentary reform and policy; Ministerial responsibility for the Privy Council Office.
Honorary Commander The Rt Hon. Penny Mordaunt MP	Paymaster General	Supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in coordinating the transition to our future relations with the EU; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on devolution issues relating to our future relationship with the EU and international trade; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on civil contingencies issues (including COVID-19), cyber security, joint funds, Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the global goals; government inquiries - Infected Blood.
Chloe Smith MP	Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution	Supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on constitutional policy and enhancement; defending democracy and electoral law; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on driving the government's devolution agenda; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to strengthen the Union.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Agnew of Oulton	Minister of State for Efficiency and Transformation (jointly with HM Treasury)	Public value and planning and performance; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on cross-government functions and controls, including public bodies and Cabinet Office domestic; supporting procurement and other government functional activity relating to COVID-19.
The Rt Hon. The Lord True	Minister of State at the Cabinet Office	Leading on all Cabinet Office business in the Lords, including the Cabinet Office legislation programme in the Lords; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in coordinating the transition to our future relations with the EU; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on constitutional policy and enhancement.
Julia Lopez MP	Minister for Implementation	Supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Lord Agnew to deliver cross-government efficiency and public sector transformation; supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in coordinating the transition to our future relations with the EU; supporting Cabinet Office primary legislation in the Commons and the Cabinet Office secondary legislation programme; oversight of Cabinet Office corporate activity, including staff within the Equalities Hub (NB. responsibility for equalities policy sits with Minister for Women & Equalities, Minister for Disabled People and XST).
Vacant	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans (joint with Ministry of Defence)	Civilian and service personnel policy, armed forces pay, pensions and compensation, Armed Forces Covenant, welfare and service families; community engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion, veterans (including resettlement, transition, defence charities and Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board, and Office of Veteran Affairs), legacy issues and non-operational public inquiries and inquests, mental health, Defence Medical Services, the people programme (Flexible Engagement Strategy, Future Accommodation Model and Enterprise Approach), estates service family accommodation policy and engagement with welfare.

The Cabinet Office senior Civil Servants are as follows:

Name	Position	Tenure
Simon Case	Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service	9 September 2020 – present
Alex Chisholm	Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of the Home Civil Service	14 April 2020 – present
James Bowler	Second Permanent Secretary - Head of the COVID Taskforce	9 October 2020 – present

The Cabinet Office also supports the work of:

• The Leader of the House of Commons
• The Leader of the House of Lords
• The Whips Office

The Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Cabinet Office supports the work of ministers.

Committees

Main article: United Kingdom cabinet committee

Cabinet committees have two key purposes:

• To relieve the burden on the Cabinet by dealing with business that does not need to be discussed at full Cabinet. Appeals to the Cabinet should be infrequent, and Ministers chairing Cabinet Committees should exercise discretion in advising the prime minister whether to allow them.
• To support the principle of collective responsibility by ensuring that, even though a question may never reach the Cabinet itself, it will be fully considered. In this way, the final judgement is sufficiently authoritative that Government as a whole can be expected to accept responsibility for it. In this sense, Cabinet Committee decisions have the same authority as Cabinet decisions.

Buildings

The entrance to the Cabinet Office.

The main building of the Cabinet Office is at 70 Whitehall, adjacent to Downing Street. The building connects three historically distinct properties, as well as the remains of Henry VIII's 1530 tennis courts, part of the Palace of Whitehall, which can be seen within the building. The Whitehall frontage was designed by Sir John Soane and completed by Sir Charles Barry between 1845 and 1847 as the Treasury Buildings. Immediately to the west Dorset House (1700) connects the front of the building to William Kent's Treasury (1733–36), which faces out onto Horse Guards Parade. The latter is built over the site of the Cockpit, used for cock fighting in the Tudor period, and subsequently as a theatre. In the early 1960s the buildings were restored and many of the Tudor remains were exposed and repaired. Significant renovations between 2010 and 2016 converted many of the floors to open plan and created new office space. The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms are located on this site.

The department occupies other buildings in Whitehall and the surrounding area, including part of 1 Horse Guards, as well as sites in other parts of the country.

See also

• British Civil Service
• Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms
• Prime Minister's Strategy Unit
• Public Sector Internal Identity Federation
• Social Exclusion Task Force
• United Kingdom budget

External links

• Official website
• Cabinet Office on Twitter