Individual Ministerial responsiblity

Question 1

what is it?

Answer 1

a convention that a minister has responsiblity before parliament for their own individual actions within a department
= parliament holding an individual minister and the department to account

Question 2

what are ministerial questions?

Answer 2

when the opposition question ministers in parliament on their job and policies

Question 3

how to maintain individual ministerial responsiblity:

Answer 3

1. inform and explain their actions to parliament
2. apologise to parliament e.g. Boris
3. take action to resolve an issue
4. resign

Question 4

example: geoff hoon

Answer 4

-in 2004
-geoff hoon = secretary of state for defence
-he had to explain to parliament why a soldier had died in Iraq when the MoD hadn’t provided soldiers with enough body armour

Question 5

example: alistair darling

Answer 5

-in 2007
-alistair darling = chancellor
-he had to explain to parliament how computer discs with data about millions of people receiving child benefits had been lost