Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat (EDS)
Head of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat
Paul Britton
Deputy
Robin Fellgett
Introduction
The Economic and Domestic Secretariat (EDS) covers all domestic Government business. Our primary role is to provide a high-quality and efficient service to support Cabinet and Cabinet committee business. EDS also supports Number 10 Private Office, advises on machinery of government changes and public sector pay, and deals with legislative and Parliamentary matters.
What are our key responsibilities?
EDS' objectives are:
- To deliver a high quality and efficient service to support Cabinet and Cabinet Committee business, and other collective consideration by Ministers.
- To support the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House of Commons in the overall determination and management of the legislative programme, and to support the four Parliamentary Business Managers in taking strategic decisions about its day to day management.
- To identify cross cutting issues that require collective consideration and broker effective agreement between departments as necessary to deliver the Government's priorities.
- To provide high quality advice to the Prime Minster and Government on policy issues, including annual co-ordination of pay review body round.
Through these objectives, EDS contributes to two of the Cabinet Office's overarching aims: to support the Prime Minister in leading the government and to achieve coordination of policy and operations across government.
Our work includes:
What is our role in relation to Cabinet?
- We coordinate the forward programme for the Cabinet and the agenda for each meeting, working with No 10, the Cabinet Secretary's office and the other secretariats.
- We lead on preparation of the Prime Minister 's brief for Cabinet.
- We minute Cabinet meetings and, with the other secretariats, follow-up decisions.
What is our role in terms of managing Cabinet Committee business?
- Working with departments to ensure that issues which require collective consideration by Ministers are considered in the appropriate forum (whether in correspondence or in discussion)
- Helping departments to prepare issues for collective consideration and developing policy options to consider
- Brokering agreements between departments and building consensus
- commissioning and drafting papers and briefing for Cabinet and Cabinet Committees
- Organising meetings and circulating papers through an electronic database known as Cabcom
- chairing meetings of official-level interdepartmental groups to help steer policy agendas
- briefing and drafting advice for Cabinet Committee Chairs
- recording conclusions from Cabinet and Cabinet Committees
- following up actions and decisions from Cabinet Committees
- working closely with No 10, the Delivery Unite, the Strategy Unit, the Treasury and the lead departments to support the Cabinet Committees
- managing one-off projects and reviews commissioned by No 10 or a Cabinet Committee
How do we assist Number 10?
- providing administrative and policy support to the Prime Minister
- undertaking work commissioned by the Prime Minister's Private Office
- prepare briefing for Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons
- providing the secretariat to the Pay and Workforce Coordination Group, which co-ordinates the negotiations around the annual pay review round and oversees the development of Pay & Workforce Strategies.
- providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Cabinet, Sir Gus O'Donnell, on machinery of government changes and the structure and composition of Cabinet Committees.
What is our role in the Legislative Programme?
- drafting the Queen's Speech for the opening of Parliament
- managing the legislative programme
- providing advice to the business managers on Parliamentary procedure
Further Information
Guidance for departments on the work of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees and managing Cabinet Committee business can be found in our Guide to Cabinet Committees.
For more information on the legislative side of EDS' work, please look on the section on the legislative programme.
Contact Details
Phone: 0207 276 0055 - Secretariat Business Manager
A detailed organogram of EDS Cabinet Committee Secretaries and the areas they cover is available to other Government Departments on request.
