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Cabinet Office written statement – made at on 3 November 2026.
Hamish Falconer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government's commitment to working in partnership with the devolved governments, continues to be reflected in the depth and consistency of engagement.
This reporting period, particularly April to June, directly covers the pre and post-election periods for the Senedd and Scottish Parliament. While opportunities for meetings between governments were therefore lower than in 2025, the level of engagement remained high, demonstrating the steady and frequent nature of UK Government ministerial engagement with devolved government counterparts.
Beyond formal forums such as the Interministerial Standing Committee, ministers and their devolved government counterparts met across a wide range of policy areas - from industrial strategy and trade agreements to welfare reform and getting people back into work - demonstrating that collaborative working is embedded across governments. This pattern of engagement reflects a clear principle: that the most effective solutions for people across the United Kingdom are found when governments work together.
The Prime Minister has been clear about his commitment to delivering good growth and real progress across all four nations of the United Kingdom and working with the devolved governments to tackle shared challenges. The publication of this dashboard demonstrates this government’s continued commitment to the devolution settlements and genuine partnership with the devolved governments - working together to deliver for people in every part of the United Kingdom.
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.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
