5. Central Government and Accountability Flashcards

1
Q

Through what three means does the Prime Minister have the power to change the organisation of government?

A

By abolishing, merging, or creating new government departments

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2
Q

What is the exception to the general convention that ministers must have a seat in either House?

A

A person who does not have a seat in either House can become as minister, as long as they become a member of the House of Lords by being granted life peerage after becoming a minister

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3
Q

Are decisions made by a cabinet committee of the same authority as as Cabinet decision?

A

Yes

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4
Q

What is the Carltona doctrine?

A

The principle by which Parliament accepts, in granting a power via an Act to a Secretary of State, that the power could be exercised by any civil servant in the Secretary’s department

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5
Q

What is the main function of the Privy Council?

A

To approve decisions made by government using Orders of Council, under either royal or statutory prerogatives

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6
Q

What is the function of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council?

A

Hear appeals on points of law from Commonwealth nations or British Overseas Territories who lack a final appeal court of their own

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7
Q

What is collective responsibility and what are its two main elements?

A

Government ministers are required to maintain support for government policy in public and before parliament, and the two elements are confidentiality and unanimity

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8
Q

Once a decision has been reached by government, what must a minister do if they feel they cannot support a particular policy in public and in Parliament?

A

They must resign

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9
Q

What was the situation each of the three times in which collective responsibility was set aside by the Prime Minister, allowing ministers to depart from an agreed government view in public?

A

Referendum

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10
Q

What must a minister do if they have mislead Parliament (1) inadvertently and (2) intentionally?

A
  1. Correct the inadvertent error as soon as possible
  2. Resign
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11
Q

For what type of failures must a minister (1) give account and (2) take responsibility?

A
  1. Give account: Operational failure (department overall is at fault)
  2. Take responsibility: Policy failure (minister personally to blame)
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12
Q

What should a minister ensure there is no conflict between?

A

Their ministerial duties and their personal interests

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13
Q

Who is the ultimate arbiter of whether the Ministerial Code has been breached and whether a minister should resign?

A

The Prime Minister

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14
Q

Under the requirement that government has the confidence of the House of Commons, what should government be to Parliament?

A

Accountable

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15
Q

How many questions can the Leader of the Opposition ask in Prime Minister’s Question Time?

A

Six

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16
Q

In ministerial questions, what five issues are MPs not allowed to ask of government departments who rotate on a five-weekly basis?

A
  1. Local authorities
  2. Monarch
  3. Affairs of other countries
  4. Devolved matters
  5. Case currently before a court
17
Q

When can ministerial questions be asked in written form, and within what time limit must the relevant government department respond?

A

Any time. Seven days.

18
Q

Whilst government business usually takes priority over all other business, how many days are allocated to opposition parties to debate policy areas of their choosing?

A

20 days