EXTRA-Individual ministerial responsibility Flashcards
What does individual responsibility refer to?
this refers to the responsibility of each government minister for the work of his or her department
What is a benefit of individual responsibility for the fact that Ministers are answerable to parliament for all that happens in their department?
MPs know who to direct their questions to at question time, committees, debates
What is a negative benefit of individual responsibility through the fact ministers are answerable to parliament?
civil servant are kept out go the political arena and shielded from controversy making it possible for any future administration to have confidence in civil service neutrality
Why is individual responsibility not regulated by statute?
because it is a convention
What is the responsibility of individual ministers for their own conduct and that of their departments regarded as?
as a vital aspect of accountable and democratic parliamentary government
What is meant by responsibility?
-ministers are required to inform parliament about the work and conduct of their departments and implies liability to lose office if the fault is sufficiently serious
Who took full responsibility for the complacency and failures in the Foreign Office?
Lord Carrington and he and his ministerial team resigned
What could be said about the fact that Lord Carrington admitted individual responsibility and resigned after the Falklands war?
that this protected government as a whole as without resignation the government would have been in greater political difficulty
what do MPs usually do when a minister faces liability for a failure in their department which suggests an erosion of the doctrine of individual responsibility?
the MPs on side of the government rally behind a minister in difficulty
What is the general attitude of commentators on ministers when there has been a failure in their department which suggests an erosion of the doctrine of individual responsibility?
they are usually sympathetic because they will not have had a direct involvement
In the Home Office, they deal with controversial issues that create much public anxiety, why could individual responsibility be eroded in this case?
as it would be unreasonable to assume that ministers can read it all or know the details of every response sent out in their name
How does individual responsibility ensure that someone is accountable?
there is a minister to answer questions.
How does the merits of the doctrine of individual responsibility facilitate the work of opposition?
it forces someone to justify government policy to those seeking to expose departmental or policy failings
Under who’s premiership were ministerial resignations fairly frequent? (2)
Major and Blair administrations
What are the 3 main reasons why ministers resign?
1) Sexual or financial impropriety
2) Political misjudgements and mistakes
3) Policy differences with the government
