The ministries of Poland are the various departments performing functions implemented by the Polish government. Each ministry is headed by a governmental minister selected by the Prime Minister, who sits in the collective executive Council of Ministers. The current competences and regulations of the ministries were established under a series of central administrative reforms carried out by prime ministers Józef Oleksy and Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz between 1996 and 1997. Under legal regulations, the cabinet can create, combine, or dissolve ministries, with the Prime Minister determining the scope and responsibilities of ministers. The number and range of ministries has varied throughout the past.