<P> In a few governments, as in the case of Mexico, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and United States, the title of secretary is also used for some Cabinet members ("Secretary of Education", or "Secretary of State" in the UK). In many countries (e.g. Germany, Luxembourg, France, etc .), a Secretary (of State) is a cabinet member with an inferior rank to a minister . </P> <P> In some countries (e.g. the US) attorneys general also sit in the cabinet, while in many others this is strictly prohibited as the attorneys general are considered to be part of the judicial branch of government . The day - to - day role of most cabinet members is to serve as the chief of one segment of the executive branch of the national government (or regional government in federal systems) and its respective bureaucracy to whom all other subordinate public servants and employees in that ministry or department have to report . </P> <P> The size of cabinets varies, although most contain around ten to twenty ministers . Researchers have found an inverse correlation between a country's level of development and cabinet size: on average, the more developed a country is, the smaller is its cabinet . </P> <P> In the United Kingdom and its colonies, cabinets began as smaller sub-groups of the English Privy Council . The term comes from the name for a relatively small and private room used as a study or retreat . Phrases such as "cabinet counsel," meaning advice given in private to the monarch, occur from the late 16th century, and, given the non-standardized spelling of the day, it is often hard to distinguish whether "council" or "counsel" is meant . </P>

Where did the system of checks and balances come from