Ministers and their departments

• Ministers ranked into senior and junior posts

  • Secretary of state
  • Minister of state
  • Parliamentary under-secretary of state
  • Parliamentary private secretary (PPS)
• Secretary of state

  A senior minister who runs a large department and is most likely also to be a cabinet member
• Minister of state

  They will run a subdivision of the department and will not be a cabinet member. They are often referred to as junior ministers
• Parliamentary under-secretary of state

  A very junior minister who runs a specialised section of the department
• Parliamentary private secretary (PPS)

  An MP who acts as a link between ministers and MPs. This position is the first rung on the ministerial ladder