What is Minister (government)?
A '''Minister''' can be a Member of [[Parliament]], or a [[Clergyman]] (person who works as a Minister in the Church). This article talks about a Minister as a [[Member of Parliament]]. ==What is a minister?== In the United Kingdom and other countries that follow the [[Westminster system|Westminster System]], a Minister is a Member of Parliament who has a special role dealing with a certain area of [[Government]]. In the [[Britain|British]] Government, there are Ministers for lots of different things, like Children, Work & Pensions and Culture, Media & Sport. There are descriptions (things that describe) of what these people do at the bottom of this page.<ref>The word [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minister Minister] Definition, dictionary.com dictionaries</ref> Ministers in the government report to the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], who also tells them what they need to do in relation to their jobs. The [[Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Deputy Prime Minister]] also reports to the Prime Minister. Other Ministers, even though they are not called Ministers, include the [[Foreign Secretary]], and the [[Home Secretary]]. ==What describes these jobs?== '''Minister for Children''' The Minister for Children looks after children's rights - these are laws which take care of how children are treated by their parents or guardians (a guardian is someone who looks after a child when their parents are not able to), and their care in society. The job means that this Minister has a special role in the lives of all children in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. '''Minister for Work and Pensions''' This Minister looks after jobs (Employment) and money given to people who are in need (Welfare Benefits). They set the rules saying what people who have no job must do to try and get one, and how much money people who have no job or are in need, get to live on. The Minister also sets rules about what happens to people who do not do enough to find a job, or who break the law by working