Parliament 2 Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is the government?
The government is the collective name for the ministers of the Crown- the ‘executive’.
It is made up of the PM and those appointed government ministers who have been given specific responsibilities on a departmental basis.
Secretaries of state: large depts, some responsibilities delegated to other ministers such as…
Ministers of state
Parliamentary-under-secretaries of state (junior ministers)
In addition, it is increasingly common for the PM to consult close confidantes who are not necessarily even elected MPs or ministers e.g. special advisers or spin doctors (cruelly satirised on TV in The Thick of It)
There are normally around 120 ministers with specific responsibilities.
What is the cabinet and their role?
Secretaries of State and some other senior ministers also sit in the Cabinet, an inner circle of 20 or so ministers chosen by the PM.
The most senior include the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Justice Secretary and Foreign Secretary.
-takes general decisions on policy
-takes detailed decisions on politically sensitive matters
-acts as a forum to solve disputes between ministers
-oversees and co-ordinates the operation of government
What are civil servants?
paid officials, non political and serve all government.
runs the administration and the business of a governing country.
Permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant in any department.
The most senior permanent secretary is the cabinet secretary
Who holds the PM to account?
The Public
They are MPs and must stand for re-election so too their fellow MPs. John Major to Tony Blair 1997, for example. Demonstrations and industrial action.
The Press
Editors and reporters covering issues. A number of papers take partisan stands. British broadcasters are bound by a code of impartiality*
Parliament
Policies can be voted down. Select committees examine depts, general committees scrutinise prospective laws. PMs subject themselves to twice yearly scrutiny by the Commons Liaison Committee
The Party
Backbench revolts*. The Budget and the Queen’s speech can both be targets. Weekly meetings of the Parliamentary Labour Party and the Conservative’s1922 Committee, a body made up of ALL Tory MPs oversees the election of leaders and is said to represent the voice of the party.
Who is the prime minister and what is roles?
Head of the government (executive). The Prime Minister has the authority to exercise on the sovereign’s behalf powers entrusted by royal prerogative. Main roles and powers include:-
Leader of the majority party in the House of Commons
represents the government
can declare war
chairs weekly cabinet meetings
The only minister granted private audiences with the monarch, keeps sovereign aware of gov business on a weekly basis
What are actions of the ministers governed by?
Collective responsibility, individual ministerial responsibility and the Ministerial code
What is individual ministerial responsibility ?
Ministers are responsible for all the actions of their department. If a serious error occurs the minister must take responsibility and resign from the government – even if the error was a civil servant’s without the minister’s knowledge.
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
All members of the government agree with the chosen policy, even if they did not participate in drawing it up
A minister that disagrees with a policy must resign from the government or remain silent in public
A minister who resigns from government may remain an MP or member of the House of Lords but give up the ministerial post and salary
What is a case study of this?
Matt Hancock- In June 2021 he resigned as health secretary after he breached social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague.
In a letter the Prime Minister he said: “…Owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down”
