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{{Short description|Politician who heads a government ministry}}
{{Redirect|Councillor of state| the differently spelled role it should not be confused for|Counsellor of State}}
{{Redirect|Junior Minister|the position in the government of Northern Ireland|Junior Minister (Northern Ireland)}}
{{Executive}}
A '''minister''' is a [[politician]] who heads a [[ministry (government department)|ministry]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/minister|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119020403/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/minister|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2017|title=Minister|work=Oxford Dictionary|access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/es/diccionario/ingles/minister|title=Minister|work=Collins Dictionary|access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref> making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the [[head of government]] is also a minister and is designated the ‘[[prime minister]]’, ‘premier’, ‘chief minister’, ‘chancellor’ or other title.

In [[Commonwealth realm]] jurisdictions which use the [[Westminster system]] of government, ministers are usually required to be members of one of the houses of [[Parliament]] or [[legislature]], and are usually from the political party that controls a majority in the lower house of the legislature. In other jurisdictions—such as [[Belgium]], [[Mexico]], [[Netherlands]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Grondwet|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001840/2018-12-21|access-date=2021-03-10|website=wetten.overheid.nl|language=nl}}</ref>{{efn|group=note|name=a|Once a minister's position is vacant, the minister can be a member of parliament, in accordance with article 57 section 3 of the Dutch constitution.}} [[Philippines]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Nigeria]]—the holder of a cabinet-level post or other government official is not permitted to be a member of the legislature. Depending on the administrative arrangements in each jurisdiction, ministers are usually heads of a [[Ministry (government department)|government department]] and members of the government's ministry, [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] and perhaps of a committee of cabinet. Some ministers may be more senior than others, and some may hold the title ’[[Assistant Minister|assistant minister]]’ or ‘[[deputy minister]]’. Some jurisdictions, with a large number of ministers, may designate ministers to be either in the inner or outer ministry or cabinet.

In some jurisdictions—such as [[Hong Kong]], [[Mexico]], the [[Philippines]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]]—holders of an equivalent cabinet-level post are called [[Secretary (title)|secretaries]] (e.g., the [[Home Secretary]] in the United Kingdom, [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] in the United States). Some holders of a cabinet-level post may have another title, such as ’[[Attorney-General]]’ or ’[[Postmaster-General]]’.

==Etymology==
[[File:Gebhard-Sillanpaa-1910.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Finland]]'s first female ministers were brought to [[Parliament of Finland|Finnish Parliament]] shortly after the turn of the 20th century.<ref name=pp>{{Cite news|url=https://finland.fi/life-society/real-bridge-builder-became-finlands-first-female-government-minister/|title=Real bridge-builder became Finland's first female government minister - thisisFINLAND|date=2017-09-29|work=thisisFINLAND|access-date=2017-10-01|language=en-US}}</ref> From left to right: [[Hedvig Gebhard]] (1867–1961), member of parliament, and [[Miina Sillanpää]] (1866–1952), Minister of Social Affairs,<ref name=pp/><ref>{{Citation|last=Korppi-Tommola|first=Aura|year=2016|title=Miina Sillanpää - edelläkävijä|place=Helsinki|publisher=Suomen kirjallisuuden seura|isbn=978-952-222-724-9}}</ref> in 1910.]]
The term ’minister’ also is used in diplomacy, for a diplomat of the [[Diplomatic rank|second class]], such as in the title [[Minister Plenipotentiary]], ranking between an [[Ambassador]] and a [[Minister Resident]].

The term minister comes from [[Middle English]], deriving from the [[Old French]] word ''ministre'', originally ''minister'' in [[Latin]], meaning "servant, attendant", which itself was derived from the word 'minus' meaning "less".<ref>The word [https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minister Minister] Definition, dictionary.com dictionaries</ref>

In jurisdictions that use the [[Westminster system]] of government—such as the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Australia]]—ministers or their equivalents are selected from the legislature, and usually from the political party that controls a majority in the lower house of the legislature. In jurisdictions with strict [[separation of powers]]—such as [[Belgium]], [[Mexico]], [[Netherlands]], [[Philippines]], and the [[United States]]—ministers cannot be members of the legislature, and a legislator chosen to become a minister must resign from the legislature.

Normally the leader of the [[majority party]] becomes the [[prime minister]], or an office of equivalent function, and selects the other ministers. In the Westminster system, these ministers continue to represent their [[constituency]] in parliament while being part of the government. Individuals who are not in parliament may be appointed as a minister, usually in order to bring special skills to the government.

In the United Kingdom, a government minister does not have to be a member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, convention is that ministers must be members of either the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] or [[House of Lords]] in order to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, Prime Ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maer|first=Lucinda|date=2017-09-04|title=Ministers in the House of Lords|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05226}}</ref>

==Types of ministers and their name==
Various countries form ministries as [[Cabinet (government)|Cabinet]]s (see [[List of cabinets]]). Other cabinets are usually included in [[List of politics by country articles|''Politics of ..''-articles]]

* [[Lists of incumbents]] groups lists of ministers by country

Specific ministers include:

* [[Agriculture minister]]
* [[Commerce minister]]
* [[Ministry of Communications|Communications minister]]
* [[Culture minister]]
* [[Defence minister]]
* [[Deputy prime minister]]
* [[Education minister]]
* [[Energy minister]]
* [[Environment minister]]
* [[Finance minister]]
* [[Foreign minister]]
*[[Housing minister]]
* [[Health minister]]
* [[Industry minister]]
* [[Interior minister]]
* [[Justice minister]]
* [[Labour minister]]
* [[Prime minister]]
* [[List of public works ministries|Public works minister]]
* [[Ministry of Science|Science minister]]
* [[Sports minister]]
* [[Tourism minister]]
* [[Transport minister]]

Some ministers may hold multiple portfolios and lead several ministries simultaneously, while multiple ministers with separate portfolios may oversee a single ministry, or may also share both ministerial and deputy-ministerial portfolios in different ministries. A cabinet minister can sometimes be in charge of no ministry at all, and is then known as a "[[minister without portfolio]]".

==See also==
* [[Minister of the Crown]]
* [[Ministry (government department)]]
* [[Ministry (collective executive)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Types of government minister}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government ministers| ]]
[[Category:Government occupations]]

Minister (government) - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article