DPMC - Cabinet Office - Advice for writing Cabinet Papers

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Advice for Writing Cabinet Papers

Writing Cabinet Papers – Information for Government Departments

When you are writing a Cabinet paper, there are a number of rules and requirements that you must be aware of.

Cabinet has established requirements for papers submitted to Cabinet and Cabinet committees, to ensure that submissions are of a consistently high standard and contain all the information that is necessary for Ministers to make sound decisions.

The CabGuide is the main source of information on the requirements for Cabinet papers. The Guide contains a template of the standard format for a submission; it outlines what must be included in submissions, contains a guide for departmental consultation, and provides some tips on good presentation. There is information on financial recommendations, and special requirements for papers going to Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee (APH) and Cabinet Legislation Committee (LEG).

It is important to become familiar with the contents of the CabGuide website. A paper that fulfils all the Cabinet requirements will be more likely to proceed smoothly and in the desired timeframe.

The Cabinet Manual provides more high-level information than the CabGuide. The chapter on principles and procedures of Cabinet decision making is of particular use when writing Cabinet papers.

From time to time, the Cabinet Office issues circulars that provide useful information to Ministers and departments, and outline new requirements for writing submissions. For example, the circular “Guidelines for Changes to Baselines” [CO (02) 17] sets out the process agreed to by Cabinet for changes to baselines. It provides generic guidance on the baseline management system, and on authority to approve changes. All the Cabinet Office Circulars are available on this site in PDF format.

Key Ingredients of Good Cabinet Papers

Apart from the formal requirements established by Cabinet, there are some basic ingredients that make a good paper, and help the paper achieve the desired outcome. Papers should be:

Necessary – the type of issues that are considered by Cabinet are set out in the CabGuide.
Relevant – proposals should be part of government policy or consistent with government policy.
Clear and easy to read – use plain language and focus the paper on the decisions that are actually sought.
Logical and well formatted – highlight key issues and options, and follow the standard format in the CabGuide.
Timely – build time into your development of the paper for Cabinet processes, for consultation and further work. Include buffers, as things don’t always go as you planned.
Well consulted – there is information on consultation requirements in the CabGuide.

Timing

Cabinet and committee processes take time. To help smooth the progress of a paper it is useful to be aware of the extra time that will be required once the paper is written, to actually have the paper considered and obtain a decision.

The first process to allow time for is the consultation that will be undertaken by the Minister with his or her colleagues. For example, for papers seeking new appropriations outside the budget process, the relevant Vote Minister must personally consult the Minister of Finance before submitting the paper to a committee or to Cabinet.
The second timing consideration to be aware of is the deadline for submission of papers to the Cabinet Office. The deadline for lodging Cabinet and committee papers is 10am on the Thursday before the meeting. The exception is papers for the Cabinet Legislation Committee (LEG) – the deadline for LEG papers is 10am on the Monday before the meeting.
The third consideration that will affect the timing of a paper is whether or not Cabinet and committees will be meeting in the week you intend to submit the paper.

Links to helpful sites when writing papers

Treasury:

Financial Recommendations Technical Guide – November 2003
www.treasury.govt.nz/finrecs/

Justice:

The Non-Discrimination Standards for Government and the Public Sector
www.justice.govt.nz/pubs/reports/2002/discrimination-standards/index.html

MED:

A Guide to Preparing Regulatory Impact Statements
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/ContentTopicSummary____606.aspx

PCO:

General information on legislation. FAQs.
www.pco.parliament.govt.nz

Women’s Affairs:

Gender analysis information and resources, including a chart of key questions to ask in gender analysis.
http://www.mwa.govt.nz/gender-analysis

Office of Disability Issues:

www.odi.govt.nz

Ethnic Affairs:

www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz/oeawebsite.nsf

Youth Affairs:

www.youthaffairs.govt.nz

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