With each reshuffle, different categories can be identified among the members of a government. franceinfo explains their particularities.
A new team and new members. After thatEmmanuel Macron confirmed its Prime Minister to Matignon, the announcement of a new government is expected in the afternoon of Thursday, July 20. The detail must be given by a press release from the Élysée where we will know the new ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries of state.
>> Reshuffle of the government of Elisabeth Borne: follow the news live
With these names, a certain hierarchy in the government is set up, but as the site vie-publique.fr reminds us, all are considered to be ministers.
franceinfo explains the distinction between these categories.
Ministers of State
It is a title that has an honorary or political significance. For example, when it is necessary to distinguish the leaders of the parties from the majority within a government. There was no Minister of State within the various governments of Elisabeth Borne like those of Jean Castex. The last Minister of State was François de Rugy as Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition (2018-2019).
He is one of four politicians to have been appointed Minister of State in the governments of Édouard Philippe with François Bayrou as Minister of Justice (2017), Nicolas Hulot as Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition (2017-2018) and Gérard Collomb as Minister of the Interior (2017-2018).
“Full-time” ministers
The title of minister is often accompanied by the expression “full exercise”. A use in everyday language to distinguish them from other functions. They are much more common in a government. They are at the head of a ministerial department. Their contours vary according to the governments. Even if variations of name appear according to the governments, it generally concerns the Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs or Ecology.
>> Reorganization: why do we speak of “ministerial morocco”?
Full ministers have the right to a certain number of advisers to form their cabinet. It is a decree of July 2020 which modified the rule fixed in May 2017, explains The world. Ministers can go up to 15 advisers instead of 10 previously. A higher number than the cabinets of the delegate ministers who can go up to 13 instead of eight, and those of the secretaries of state who can go up to eight instead of five.
Deputy Ministers and Secretaries of State
These are ministers attached to another member of the government either to the Prime Minister or to a minister in order to take charge of some of his responsibilities. In the previous government, there were three ministers delegated to the Prime Minister: Olivier Véran, Franck Riester and Isabelle Rome. Behind these attachments, there are political decisions that can cause controversy. In July 2022, the dual supervision of Carole Grandjean, Minister Delegate in charge of Vocational Education and Training, had made people cringe.
Secretaries of State are sometimes autonomous at the head of a ministerial department, but more generally, they too exercise their functions directly with the Prime Minister or a minister. For example, Sarah El Haïry was Secretary of State to the Minister of National Education and Youth in charge of Youth and Universal National Service. Secretaries of State and Deputy Ministers do not necessarily participate in the Council of Ministers. They are only present when the agenda concerns their function.
Remuneration differences
Legally, there is no hierarchy between the members of the government. According to the site vie-publique.fr, the Prime Minister directs the action of the government and is not the hierarchical superior of the other members of the government. These titles therefore concern the formal order which has no use other than symbolic or honorific.
The remuneration of ministers and secretaries of state is around 10,000 euros per month and includes some differences. According to the Capital site, the remuneration of ministers is set at 10,490 euros gross per month. Specifically, it is made up of 8,148 euros in basic allowance, 2,098 euros in function allowance and 244 euros in residence allowance. Secretaries of State receive a salary of 10,115 euros gross. Far from the gross 15,735 euros received per month by Elisabeth Borne.