3.2 The Concept of Ministerial Responsibility Flashcards
- Collective Ministerial Responsibility - Examples of when it has worked/hasn't - Individual Ministerial Responsibility - Examples of when it has worked/hasn't
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
Ministers are responsible for the running of their department and its policies and have a responsibility for standard of their personal conduct
What are the two strands of individual ministerial responsibility?
Legal and political
What are 3 aspects of legal responsibility?
- Ministers are responsible for all that goes on their department whether they are directly concerned or not
- They must give accurate information to Parliament and must reign if they knowingly mislead
- The PM decides how long a minister remains in office
What is political responsibility?
Ministers are responsible for their own personal conduct and may be forced to resign because of some personal failing unrelated to performance as minister
What 3 things does political responsibility depend on?
- How serious an issue is perceived
- How critical Parliament and media are
- How the PM responds to the issue
What 3 factors have eroded individual responsibility?
- Business of government is so complex and large that a minister can’t be expected to know everything in clearly,ent so would not resign over minor mistakes
- Many government functions have been delegated to executive agencies under a director general leading to doubt as to who is accountable
- Blurring of accountability means civil servants have been held responsible
Give an example of director general being fired
1995 - Home Secretary Michael Howard sacked Derek Lewis, director general of the prison service, following escapees from Pankhurst jail
Give an example of a civil servant being fired
2012 - Transport secretary Patrick Mcloughin admitted to mistakes being made in awarding franchise to companies to run trains on the West Coast Main Line. 3 civil servants were suspended, one of whom launched successful legal action and was reinstated
Give an example of resigning for misleading Parliament
2018- Amber Rudd resigned as Home Secretary for inadvertently misleading Parliament whether she knows about targets to remove illegal immigrants
Give an example of how the PM responds being a factor in political responsibility
Blair told Mandelson to resign over allegation he abused his position to give the Hinduja brothers passports
Give an example of how critical parliament and media is of the matter being a factor in political responsibility
November 2019 - Alun cairns stepped down as welsh secretary over claims he knew about a former aides role in the “sabotage” of a rape trial. BBC Wales found that he was sent an email about the case over a year before he stepped down
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
Convention that ministers all decisions of the government In public
What four reasons is collective ministerial responsibility important?
- Ensures ministerspresent a united front against opposition
- Discussion inside cabinet remain private and disagreements confidential
- it can enhance prime ministerial power by silencing critics within government
- Bind government together as ministers collectively shoulder responsibility for actions and policies
What two things have eroded collective ministerial responsibility?
- 2010 coalition
- EU referendum 1975 and 2016
How was CMR suspended during the 2010-2015 coalition?
- A compromise was needed to form government
- Agreed on 4 issues where the Liberal Democrats would not be bound by CMR
- Allowed to abstain on votes on construction of nuclear power stations, tax allowances for married couples, higher education funding and alternative to renewal of Trident
