00:00In France, a secretary of state is a member of the government at the highest level of the ministerial hierarchy.
00:05Secretaries of State are often placed under the authority of a minister, or sometimes the prime minister, and are
00:10in principle responsible for a particular sector of activity.
00:13They only sit in the Council of Ministers when an item on the agenda falls within the purview of
00:17their responsibilities.
00:18Not all governments have a secretary of state.
