The effective functioning of the overall Cabinet process depends not just on the Ministers that belong to Cabinet and the Cabinet Office, but also the support provided by line Ministries in preparing policy proposals, implementing decisions and reporting on implementation. In order to facilitate this, each Permanent Secretary shall, with the concurrence of his or her Minister, nominate an appropriate senior public officer to liaise with the Cabinet Office and other organizations on Cabinet matters.

These Cabinet Liaison Officers (CLOs) support Permanent Secretaries and other senior officials in their Ministry. They receive training and ongoing support from the Cabinet Office, to ensure each Ministry is able to comply with the collective requirements of the Cabinets, including:

1. assisting their Ministries (including relevant departments and agencies) to prepare Cabinet submissions that are consistent with this Manual, including assistance in meeting the requirements for evidence;
2. assisting their Ministries to comply with the guidelines, formats and criteria issued by the Cabinet Office;
3. registering confidential Cabinet documents and arranging appropriate distribution within their Ministries;
4. assisting their Ministries to submit Cabinet documents in a timely manner;
5. coordinating with other Ministries to ensure that their Ministry’s views and comments are considered in submissions being prepared by other Ministries;
6. coordinating Ministry briefings to their Minister on Cabinet agenda items; and
7. helping to compile reports on the implementation of Cabinet decisions.