François Bayrou announced on Monday the composition of his government. A team of 35 members, made up of four ministers of state, ten full ministers and 21 ministers attached to other ministers.
The Prime Minister actually has political predominance, as the Vie publique site points out. But, if the Constitution provides that he directs the action of the government, he is not necessarily its hierarchical superior. It therefore has, officially, no power of constraint.
The Constitution only requires the presence of a Prime Minister and a Minister of Justice within a government. The scope of action of each member is covered by a decree of attribution. In the one signed on Monday, François Bayrou is also responsible for ecological and energy planning. But what is the difference between minister of state, full minister and delegate minister?
Ministers of State
The title of Minister of State has an honorary or political significance. There are four of them who bear this title, who have somewhat disappeared from political life in recent years: Élisabeth Borne (National Education, Higher Education and Research), Manuel Valls (Overseas), Gérald Darmanin (Justice), Bruno Retailleau (Interior) . Through this name, François Bayrou wanted to set the priorities for his action. “The country’s first challenge is education.” As for overseas, it is “one of the heaviest questions for our country”.
Ministers (or full ministers)
From Catherine Vautrin (Work, health, solidarity and families), to Marie Barsacq (Sports, youth and community life), there are ten in the Bayrou government (in addition to the four ministers of state), at the head of a department ministerial. In his desire to tighten the government, the mayor of Pau entrusted them with expanded portfolios.
To carry out their missions, these ten ministers, but also the ministers of state and the Prime Minister, are supported by 21 ministers who will act under their responsibility.
The delegated ministers
Thirteen of them were given the term “delegates”, but the action of these 21 ministers is essentially the same. Their role is to take charge of certain responsibilities of their supervisory minister.
Marc Ferracci is in charge of Industry and Energy, alongside Eric Lombard (Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty). Another example, Patricia Miralles is Minister Delegate in charge of Memory and Veterans under Sébastien Lecornu (Army).
Our file on the Bayrou government
Although under supervision, they are not deputy ministers. Unlike the secretaries of state (absent from this government), all sit on the Council of Ministers. They have the same monthly salary as ministers of state or full-time ministers, i.e. 10,692 euros gross (compared to 16,039 euros for the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic). A sum to which must be added numerous advantages.