Holding the Government to Account Essay Flashcards

1
Q

Introduction

A

Some would argue that the most effective way that Parliamentary Representatives can hold the government to account is committees. It could also be argued that the House of Lords and PMQ/FMQ are more effective ways that MPs and Lords can scrutinise the government. Ultimately this response will show how committees are really the most effective.

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2
Q

Committees

Describe

A

This is because MPs are able to work in a much smaller group and get a more detailed understanding of how well the government is (or isn’t) doing. As these are public and shown on TV ministers have to work really hard to not be embarrassed or make mistakes.

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3
Q

Committees

Example

A

For example, Yvette Cooper of the Home Affairs committee, through her questioning, exposed that the government didn’t know how many people were coming into the UK with coronavirus.

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4
Q

Committees

Analysis

A

This shows that through the work that the Home Affairs committee has done, they were able to establish that there was an issue that wasn’t being addressed and that the government didn’t know how to respond to what was being questioned, showing that the committee were able to scrutinise the lack of work the Government has been doing about a certain topic

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5
Q

Committees - ineffective

Describe

A

This means that the government still has the power to ignore or refuse any advice given to them by the committees. The government can also choose to hold back or delay reports that are produced by committees and release them at a time that better suits the government.

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6
Q

Committees - ineffective

Example

A

For example, in 2019 the UK government avoided publishing a report into Russian meddling in the EU referendum before the 2019 election because it might have made them look bad.

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7
Q

Committees - ineffective

Analysis

A

This shows that the government still has most of the control over what decisions are being made, and they have the ability to ignore the suggestions being made, therefore showing the committees do not have the most authority against the government and cannot hold them to account as effectively as they intended to.

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8
Q

Committees

Link back

A

The ability for MPs to develop expertise and question Ministers in a more forensic way over a longer period of time does make this method of scrutiny more effective than their work in the chamber; however, it is at its best when MPs have no loyalty to the government.

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9
Q

House of Lords

Describe

A

As a completely separate chamber the House of Lords faces much less pressure to do to the will of the government. Indeed, because of their unelected lifelong position, the Lords are more willing to critically scrutinise the government without fear of punishment.

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10
Q

House of Lords

Example

A

For example, in 2019, the Government suffered around 100 defeats in the Lords which have forced the government to change it’s plans including over government deals with countries that have been committing genocide.

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11
Q

House of Lords

Analysis

A

These defeats force the government to think again, or if they chose to carry on then have to publicly defend themselves which might make them unpopular to voters.

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12
Q

House of Lords - ineffective

Describe

A

This is because there are so many Lords and the vast majority of the Lords have been appointed by the Prime Minister of the day and so often people are given a peerage (entry to the Lords) because of their loyalty to the party and Prime Minister rather than because of their expertise.

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13
Q

House of Lords - ineffective

Example

A

For example, in 2020, Boris Johnson put his own brother into the House of Lords to join nearly 800 other members.

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14
Q

House of Lords - ineffective

Analysis

A

This means that if there are too many MPs at 650 to properly scrutinise the government then over 800 peers, many of whom are allies of the government, might be even less effective.

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15
Q

House of Lords

Link back

A

The expertise and diluted party loyalty of the Lords can be a useful combination for scrutinising the government in a less biassed way however none the less the PM can still rely on considerable support in this chamber.

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16
Q

PMQ/FMQ

Describe

A

The Prime Minister/First Minister Question Time is when the Prime Minister, who currently is Rishi Sunak, or the First Minister, which was Humza Yousef previously are going to be questioned by MPs or MSPs to find out what is going on and what the government is doing in regards to the topic of their question.

17
Q

PMQ/FMQ

Example

A

For example, in 2022, at FMQs Douglas Ross asked Nicola Sturgeon to explain how she planned to address the ¼ billion pounds spending on ferries that had not actually improved any services.

18
Q

PMQ/FMQ

Analysis

A

This shows that by asking the question in a public setting meant that the FM had to address the issue in front of many other MSPs, meaning she had to be honest in front of her peers and was being held accountable for failing.

19
Q

PMQ/FMQ - ineffective

Describe

A

Sometimes even though a question is asked, the FM/PM can avoid answering or have time to prepare. This is because although the questions are asked in a public setting, the whip or informant can tell the PM/FM in advance. Therefore, they can have an excuse or rebuttal already prepared and it becomes undemocratic.

20
Q

PMQ/FMQ - ineffective

Example

A

For example, when Keir Starmer asked Boris Johnston to address the incident of an MP and sexual misconduct, claiming Boris Johnston knew beforehand what the MP was like, the PM replied with excuses and tried to justify with the fact that he had now dismissed the MP from his duties.

21
Q

PMQ/FMQ - ineffective

Analysis

A

This shows that even if the question times can be unsuccessful as those who are being questioned are aware of the time restraint that they have so they can use this to their advantage to ensure that they don’t slip up by repeating their answers and avoiding the question being asked.

22
Q

PMQ/FMQ

Link back

A

The expertise and vast range of questions that are asked are successful for scrutinising the government in allowing the public to see firsthand what is being done, however the PM/FM knowledge on how the question time works allows them to hinder the results the MPs are looking for by avoiding the questions and taking too long to answer the question.

23
Q

Conclusion

A