The ministers are responsible directly to the Sultan and hold their seats at His Majesty's pleasure, usually reshuffle and nominate every 5 years.

[2] Immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984, the following portfolios were introduced as the first cabinet line-up:[3] On 20 October 1986, after the demise of the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the cabinet was reshuffled which saw the introduction of new ministerial posts, namely the Ministers of Health and Religious Affairs, and Special Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.

[2] On 1 April 1993, the post of Secretary to Council of Cabinet Ministers was created, with Judin Asar as the inaugural holder.

[10] The State Mufti and Attorney General were included in the cabinet and declared ministry-level positions in the reshuffles of 2005,[11] 2010,[7] 2015,[12] and 2018.

[6] Meanwhile, the 2018 cabinet line-up saw the introduction of the new Second Minister of Defence,[citation needed] but the position was not renewed in 2022 reshuffle.