3.2 The concept of ministerial responsibility

Question 1

The concept of responsibility is not a fixed law, but instead a…

Answer 1

convention.

Question 2

What is individual ministerial responsibility?

Answer 2

The idea that ministers are responsible for the running of their department and its policies. They also have responsibility for the standard of their own personal conduct.

Question 3

Where is the official definition of individual responsibility set out in? What does the latest version state?

Answer 3

A document known as the Ministerial Code. The latest version states that ‘Ministers have a duty to parliament to account, and be held to account, for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and agencies’.

Question 4

What happens if ministers knowingly mislead parliament?

Answer 4

They are expected to resign.

Question 5

Ministers ‘only remain in office for so long as they retain…

Answer 5

the confidence of the prime minister’.

Question 6

What does the fate of an individual minister depend on?

Answer 6

• How serious the issue is perceived to be
• The level of criticism in parliament and the media when a mistake is made
• The attitude of the prime minster of the day.

Question 7

What was Alistair Campbell’s, Tony Blair’s press secretary and director of communications, ‘golden rule’, in regards to ministers?

Answer 7

That a minister would have to go if he or she was at the centre of a media storm for a given length of time - however, later Campbell said he couldn’t recall having laid down any such rule.

Question 8

What is a factor that has eroded the concept of individual responsibility?

Answer 8

The way in which, since the late 1980s, many government functions have been delegated to executive agencies under a director general, rather than a minister. This led to some doubt about who is accountable, with the minister assuming responsibility for making overall policy, while the head of the agency exercises ‘operational responsibility’.

Question 9

In some cases, civil servants rather than ministers have been held responsible for departmental errors. Traditionally civil servants were..

Answer 9

anonymous, taking neither credit nor blame for the actions of governments, but this had been eroded in recent decades.

Question 10

What is an example of civil servants not being anonymous and taking responsibility?

Answer 10

In 2012 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin admitted that mistakes had been made in the awarding of a franchise to companies to run trains on the West Coast Main Line. Three civil servants were suspended as a result.

Question 11

The impression that a minister’s behaviour has fallen short of expected standards of integrity has been enough to bring about a departure from office. Give an example of this.

Answer 11

• Peter Mandelson - obliged to resign twice from the first Blair government because of a perception of wrongdoing
• 1998 - left his post as trade and industry secretary - bought a house with the help of a loan supplied by a Cabinet colleague
• Brought back as Northern Ireland secretary - forced out in 2001 - accusations that he had used his influence to fast track a passport application by an Indian businessman

Question 12

What is collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 12

The convention that ministers must support all decisions of the government in public. It means that they are responsible as a group to parliament and thus to the people, and that discussions in Cabinet should be confidential.

Question 13

What happens if the government is defeated in a vote of no-confidence?

Answer 13

The government as a whole resigns, to maintain the unity of the government in face of attacks by the opposition.

Question 14

What happens once a decision, in the Cabinet, has been made?

Answer 14

It’s binding on them all, although are free to argue their case with each other in private before hand.

Question 15

What happens if a minister cannot accept a decision made within the cabinet?

Answer 15

In theory, they should resign.

Question 16

What is one of the best-known examples of a minister resigning?

Answer 16

In 2003, Robin Cook, leader of the House of Commons, resigned in opposition to Blair’s decision to go to war with Iraq. He stated that he could not ‘accept collective ministerial responsibility for the decision to commit Britain now to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support’

Question 17

What is more common for ministers who are unhappy with government policy to do?

Answer 17

Grumble from within, or ‘leak’ their dissatisfaction to the media, rather than take a public stand - to resign could end a political career.

Question 18

When were cases where collective responsibility was modified for political reasons?

Answer 18

When the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats needed to find a compromise in order to form a coalition government in 2010.

Question 19

What were the four issues in which the Liberal Democrats were not bound by collective responsibility?

Answer 19

The Lib Dems were allowed to abstain in votes on:

• The construction of new nuclear power stations
• Tax allowances for married couples
• Higher education funding
• They were also allowed to propose an alternative to the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent

Question 20

What is a well-known example of the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives taking opposing standpoints, during the coalition government?

Answer 20

The 2011 referendum on the Westminster electoral system, in which Cameron defended the FPTP system, while Clegg campaigned for the alternative vote.

Question 21

What were the two occasions where it proved necessary to suspend collective responsibility, since 1945?

Answer 21

During both referendum campaigns on the issue of Britain’s membership of the EU. In 1975, Harold Wilson recognised that in order to prevent resignations by anti-Europeans, he had to allow ministers to campaign on both sides of the argument.
Labour ministers were allowed to share platforms at public meetings with members of other parties who shared their views. The only condition was that, as the official government position was to remain in the EU, opponents could not speak against membership from the despatch box in the HoC. Industry Minister Eric Heffer was sacked for breaking this rule.

Question 22

Why did Cameron have no real alternative but to resign as prime minister?

Answer 22

He took personal charge of the ‘Remain’ campaign. There were five anti-EU Cabinet ministers joined by Boris Johnson.

Question 23

When and why did David Laws resign, and what was his post?

Answer 23

2010. He was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He claimed parliamentary expenses to pay rent to his partner.

Question 24

When and why did Liam Fox resign, and what was his post?

Answer 24

2011. He was Defence Secretary. He allowed a personal friend to accompany him as an adviser to official meetings.

Question 25

When and why did Chris Huhne resign, and what was his post?

Answer 25

2012. He was Energy and Climate Change Secretary. He was charged with perverting the course of justice over an earlier speeding prosecution.

Question 26

When and why did Andrew Mitchell resign, and what was his post?

Answer 26

2012. He was chief Whip. He was accused of insulting policemen on duty in Downing Street. It later turned out that the police falsely accused him of doing so.

Question 27

When and why did Maria Miller resign, and what was her post?

Answer 27

2014. She was Culture Secretary. She had Parliamentary expenses claims related to family home.

Question 28

When and why did Baroness Warsi resign, and what was her post?

Answer 28

2014. She was Minister of State at Foreign Office and Minister for Faith and Communities. She disagreed with government policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict