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
Who in 1988 summarised the main areas of individual responsibility as those concerning
- private conduct
- general conduct of department
- acts done or undone by officials
Brazier
What are the 3 main areas that Brazier in 1988 summarised individual responsibility?
- private conduct
- general conduct
- acts done or undone by officials
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
What was the Crichel Down Affair?
a dispute in the 1950s concerning an aggrieved land owner who’s social influence, wealth and connections brought the issue to light and saw the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture
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
What creation has blurred individual responsibility?
Next Step programme’s creation of executive agencies
What is an example of when there is a blurred responsibility?
perhaps a mass prison outbreak, there is question of whether it is the head of the Prison Agency who is responsible or the Home Secretary
In what case did neither Michael Howard (minister) nor Sir Derek Lewis accept responsibility?
in the Pankhurst goal break of 1995
Which minister and which official both denied responsibility in the Pankhurst goal break of 1995?
Michael Howard
Sir Derek Lewis
what type of issues do executive agencies take responsibility for?
operational issues
What are the 3 merits of the doctrine
- It ensures that someone is accountable
- Keeps civil servants on their toes
- Facilities the work of opposition
How does individual responsibility ensure that someone is accountable?
there is a minister to answer questions.
What does the fact that individual responsibility ensures that someone is accountable allow for MPs?
MPs get to investigate the grievances and press the claims of their constituents
How does the merits of the doctrine of individual responsibility keep civil servants on their toes?
as the knowledge that if they make a misjudgement then their minister will be answerable in the House helps to ensure that they act with care in handling departmental issues
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 2 high profile ministerial resignations?
David Blanket and Peter Mandelson
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
What did Tim Yeo reign after?
after fathering a ‘love child’ in 1994
Why did Ron Davis resign?
after having experienced a ‘movement of madness’ on Clapham Common which led to an assault upon him in 1998
Why did Peter Mandelson resign?
after failing to declare receipt of a large loan from a fellow minister to facilitate a house purchase
When year was Blunkett’s first resignation?
2004
Why did Blunkett resign in 2004 as Home Secretary?
after an affair in which he had been involved became high profile
What had David Blunkett done which was a personal favour, a political mistake?
He intervened to fast track a visa application from his lover’s nanny thereby using his departmental influence to secure a personal favour
Why did Robin Cook resign in 2003?
shortly before the invasion of Iraq because he felt the policy was dangerous and ill conceived and could therefore not accept collective responsibility
