Minister of State

Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior ministers. Conversely, in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries, "minister of state" is a junior rank, subordinate to a minister of higher rank. Finally, in other countries such as Australia, Brazil and Japan, all government ministers hold the title of "minister of state".