The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, also known as the foreign secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The role is seen as one of the most senior ministers in the UK Government and is a Great Office of State. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and National Security Council, and reports directly to the prime minister.
The Cabinet Office is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and coordinate the delivery of government objectives via other departments. As of December 2021, it had over 10,200 staff, mostly civil servants, some of whom work in Whitehall. Staff working in the Prime Minister's Office are part of the Cabinet Office.
The secretary of state for Scotland, also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Scotland serves as the custodian of the Scottish devolution settlement as outlined in the Scotland Act 1998, and represent Scottish interests within the UK Government as well as advocate for UK Government policies in Scotland. The secretary of state for Scotland is additionally responsible for partnership between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, as well as relations between the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Scottish Parliament.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, also known as the Foreign Minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the creation and implementation of international diplomacy, relations and foreign affairs policy, as the head of the foreign affairs section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The current Foreign Minister is Senator Penny Wong, who was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May 2022 following the 2022 federal election.
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Schoof cabinet, which has been in power since 2 July 2024. It is headed by Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
Deputy minister is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. A deputy minister is positioned in some way ‘under’ a minister, who is a full member of Cabinet, in charge of a particular standing policy portfolio, and typically oversees an associated civil service department. Depending on the jurisdiction, a "Deputy minister" may be a Cabinet minister who regularly acts as and for a more senior cabinet minister, a junior minister assigned to assist a cabinet minister, an elected member of the governing party or coalition assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister ‘from the back benches’ or a non-elected head of a civil service department taking political direction from a Cabinet minister.
The parliamentary under-secretary of state is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister of State, which is itself junior to a Secretary of State.
A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family.
Undersecretary is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary. It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is also used in other organizational settings.
Jaala Pulford is a former Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council between 2006 and 2022, representing the Western Victoria Region.
Dorothee Gisela Renate Maria Bär is a German politician of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since 2002. From 2014 to 2021, she served in various capacities in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces is a mid-level ministerial position at the Ministry of Defence in the Government of the United Kingdom. It has been held by Luke Pollard since 2024.
Norbert Barthle is a German politician of the Christian Democratic (CDU) who served as a member of the Bundestag from 1998 until 2021, representing Backnang – Schwäbisch Gmünd.
Cabinet Secretary is a ministerial portfolio within the Australian federal government. It has existed in three periods, from 2007 to 2013, from 2015 to 2017, and since 2022. The minister is responsible for assisting the Prime Minister of Australia in managing the day-to-day procedural and operational matters of the Cabinet and any Cabinet committees. The Cabinet Secretary's portfolio falls within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Michael Alex Burghart is a British Conservative Party politician, academic and former teacher who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar since 2017. He was formerly a special adviser to Theresa May and has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since July 2024.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth is a junior position in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the British government. The incumbent is Stephanie Peacock. The position was created by the Second May ministry after the 2017 general election. The role is a successor of the Minister for Tourism and Heritage which was abolished in 2012 after the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The position gained the portfolio of the former Minister for Sport and Civil Society in 2020.
Volker Wissing is a German lawyer, former judge and politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) who has been serving as the party's General Secretary since 2020, and as Minister for Transport in the federal government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 2021. He previously was the Deputy Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate in the state government under Minister-President Malu Dreyer from 2016 to 2021 and a member of the German Parliament from 2004 to 2013.
The parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety is a junior position in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in the British government.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention is a position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the Government of the United Kingdom. The role has previously been known as the Minister of State for Public Health.
