Minister without Portfolio

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A Minister without Portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry.

1 Canada
2 Denmark
3 Germany
4 India
5 Ireland
6 Netherlands
7 Taiwan
8 United Kingdom
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] Canada

All but one Canadian cabinet have contained one or several Ministers without Portfolio.

While Minister without Portfolio is seen by some as a mere patronage appointment, it has been a role that numerous political notables have played over time, including recent 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).

[edit] Denmark

Three "control ministers" served as Ministers without Portfolio during World War I.

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 May 12 to November 7, 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).

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.

[edit] Germany

Wilhelm Frick (1936-1943)
Arthur Seyss-Inquart (1939-1945)

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.

[edit] India

Natwar Singh

[edit] Ireland

The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1939 (Section 4) allows a member of the Government of Ireland to be assigned, but not having charge of a Department of State, such a person is referred to as a "Minister without portfolio" (Irish: "Aire gan ceannas Roinne"). This provision has rarely been used and when so only for short periods before been assigned in charge of a Department of State.

[edit] Netherlands

A Minister without Portfolio in the Netherlands 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. 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).

[edit] Taiwan

In the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China there are several such ministers (政務委員) at one time:

Hu Sheng-cheng
Lin Yi-fu
Lin Sheng-fong
Kuo Yao-chi
Chen Chi-mai
Lin Ferng-ching
Fu Li-yeh

One of these posts is typically reserved for the chairperson of the important Council for Economic Development (經濟建設委員會), 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.