EXTRA-Individual ministerial responsibility

Question 1

What does individual responsibility refer to?

Answer 1

this refers to the responsibility of each government minister for the work of his or her department

Question 2

What is a benefit of individual responsibility for the fact that Ministers are answerable to parliament for all that happens in their department?

Answer 2

MPs know who to direct their questions to at question time, committees, debates

Question 3

What is a negative benefit of individual responsibility through the fact ministers are answerable to parliament?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Brazier

Question 5

What are the 3 main areas that Brazier in 1988 summarised individual responsibility?

Answer 5

• private conduct
• general conduct
• acts done or undone by officials

Question 6

Why is individual responsibility not regulated by statute?

Answer 6

because it is a convention

Question 7

What is the responsibility of individual ministers for their own conduct and that of their departments regarded as?

Answer 7

as a vital aspect of accountable and democratic parliamentary government

Question 8

What is meant by responsibility?

Answer 8

-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

Question 9

What was the Crichel Down Affair?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Who took full responsibility for the complacency and failures in the Foreign Office?

Answer 10

Lord Carrington and he and his ministerial team resigned

Question 11

What could be said about the fact that Lord Carrington admitted individual responsibility and resigned after the Falklands war?

Answer 11

that this protected government as a whole as without resignation the government would have been in greater political difficulty

Question 12

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?

Answer 12

the MPs on side of the government rally behind a minister in difficulty

Question 13

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?

Answer 13

they are usually sympathetic because they will not have had a direct involvement

Question 14

In the Home Office, they deal with controversial issues that create much public anxiety, why could individual responsibility be eroded in this case?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What creation has blurred individual responsibility?

Answer 15

Next Step programme’s creation of executive agencies

Question 16

What is an example of when there is a blurred responsibility?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

In what case did neither Michael Howard (minister) nor Sir Derek Lewis accept responsibility?

Answer 17

in the Pankhurst goal break of 1995

Question 18

Which minister and which official both denied responsibility in the Pankhurst goal break of 1995?

Answer 18

Michael Howard

Sir Derek Lewis

Question 19

what type of issues do executive agencies take responsibility for?

Answer 19

operational issues

Question 20

What are the 3 merits of the doctrine

Answer 20

• It ensures that someone is accountable
• Keeps civil servants on their toes
• Facilities the work of opposition

Question 21

How does individual responsibility ensure that someone is accountable?

Answer 21

there is a minister to answer questions.

Question 22

What does the fact that individual responsibility ensures that someone is accountable allow for MPs?

Answer 22

MPs get to investigate the grievances and press the claims of their constituents

Question 23

How does the merits of the doctrine of individual responsibility keep civil servants on their toes?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

How does the merits of the doctrine of individual responsibility facilitate the work of opposition?

Answer 24

it forces someone to justify government policy to those seeking to expose departmental or policy failings

Question 25

Under who’s premiership were ministerial resignations fairly frequent? (2)

Answer 25

Major and Blair administrations

Question 26

What are 2 high profile ministerial resignations?

Answer 26

David Blanket and Peter Mandelson

Question 27

What are the 3 main reasons why ministers resign?

Answer 27

1) Sexual or financial impropriety
2) Political misjudgements and mistakes
3) Policy differences with the government

Question 28

What did Tim Yeo reign after?

Answer 28

after fathering a ‘love child’ in 1994

Question 29

Why did Ron Davis resign?

Answer 29

after having experienced a ‘movement of madness’ on Clapham Common which led to an assault upon him in 1998

Question 30

Why did Peter Mandelson resign?

Answer 30

after failing to declare receipt of a large loan from a fellow minister to facilitate a house purchase

Question 31

When year was Blunkett’s first resignation?

Answer 31

2004

Question 32

Why did Blunkett resign in 2004 as Home Secretary?

Answer 32

after an affair in which he had been involved became high profile

Question 33

What had David Blunkett done which was a personal favour, a political mistake?

Answer 33

He intervened to fast track a visa application from his lover’s nanny thereby using his departmental influence to secure a personal favour

Question 34

Why did Robin Cook resign in 2003?

Answer 34

shortly before the invasion of Iraq because he felt the policy was dangerous and ill conceived and could therefore not accept collective responsibility