Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office - From Justice to Opportunity Briefing

New Shape of UK Government

Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service - Rt Hon Tony Blair MP (C)

Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister – Rt Hon Keith Hill MP (A)

Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State - Rt Hon John Prescott MP (C)

Minister without Portfolio – Rt Hon Hazel Blears (C)

TREASURY

Chancellor of the Exchequer - Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP (C)

Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Stephen Timms MP (C)

Paymaster General – Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP

Financial Secretary – John Healey MP

Economic Secretary – Ed Balls MP

HOME OFFICE

Secretary of State for the Home Department - Rt Hon John Reid MP (C)

Minister of State – Liam Byrne MP

Minister of State – Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC

Minister of State – Tony McNulty MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State – Joan Ryan MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Vernon Coaker MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gerry Sutcliffe MP

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal - Rt Hon Jack Straw MP (C)

Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council – Rt Hon Baroness Amos (C)

Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (Parliamentary Secretary) – Nigel Griffiths MP

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP (C)

Minister of State (Europe) – Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP (A)

Minister of State (Trade) (also DTI) – Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP (A)

Minister of State – Dr Kim Howells MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State – Lord Triesman

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Secretary of State for International Development – Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP (C)

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gareth Thomas MP

DEFENCE

Secretary of State for Defence – Rt Hon Des Browne MP (C)

Minister of State - Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Tom Watson MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Lord Drayson

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry – Rt Hon Alastair Darling MP (C)

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Minister for Women – Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP (C)

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Rt Hon David Miliband MP (C)

Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland – Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (C)

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (also Northern Ireland) - David Cairns MP

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Secretary of State for Wales – Rt Hon Peter Hain MP (C)

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (also Scotland Office) - David Cairns MP

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Secretary of State for Wales – Rt Hon Peter Hain MP (C)

Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion (and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) - Rt Hon Hilary Armstrong

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport - Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP (C)

Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor – Rt Hon Lord Falconer of Thoroton QC (C)

Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) – Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP (C)

Lords Chief Whip and Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms – Rt Hon Lord Grocott (A)

Deputy Chief Whip (Captain of The Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard) - Lord Davies of Oldham

A new Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created, with Ruth Kelly as Minister. DCLG will be the successor department to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), and will have a "powerful new remit" to promote community cohesion and equality, as well as responsibility for housing, urban regeneration, planning and local government. It will unite the communities and civic renewal functions previously undertaken by the Home Office (including the Cohesion and Faiths unit), with responsibility for regeneration, neighbourhood renewal and local government (previously held by the ODPM). It will bring together responsibility for equality policy, including policy on race, faith, gender and sexual orientation. These functions were previously split between several government departments. The Women and Equality Unit moves to DCLG from DTI . DCLG will also be the sponsor department for the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. Responsibility for policy on disability and age equality will remain in the Department for Work and Pensions. Ruth Kelly has also been appointed Cabinet Minister for Women, supported by a paid Parliamentary Secretary for Women and Equality.

Hilary Armstrong (as Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster) will be the Cabinet Minister for Social Exclusion, based in the Cabinet Office. This new role aims to co-ordinate policy to tackle social exclusion. She will also take responsibility for the third (ie voluntary) sector, drawing together (in a new Voluntary Sector Office within the Cabinet Office) the different parts of Whitehall that currently deal with voluntary and community sector organisations and social enterprises.

John Prescott remains as deputy Prime Minister, but without departmental responsibilities; he will chair a number of major Cabinet Committees and "oversee the efficient development of Government policy".

As Leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw will chair the Constitutional Affairs and the Legislative Programme Committees "which have a central role in the development of the Government's programme". He will also take on responsibility for the significant policy areas of House of Lords reform and party funding.