P2 - The Cabinet

Question 1

What are the functions of the cabinet

Answer 1

making formal decisions, coordinating government policy, providing a forum, managing parliamentary business, managing emergencies

Question 2

How many cabinet committees are there

Answer 2

approximately 25

Question 3

what are some examples of cabinet committees

Answer 3

national security council, home affairs committee, economic affairs committee, Scotland committee, social justice committee

Question 4

What does Cabinet do in reference to goals

Answer 4

they discuss the government’s strategy and goals

Question 5

What is an example of the Cabinet making key decisions

Answer 5

whether to hold an election in 2017

Question 6

Name some powerful cabinet ministers

Answer 6

Chancellor of the Exchequer

Question 7

What is an example of a PM relying on their Cabinet

Answer 7

May’s cabinet deciding on the type of Brexit to have

Question 8

How does the Cabinet have power over the PM

Answer 8

Thatcher’s cabinet famously aided her departure (Hesseltine)

Question 9

What is the cabinet place the only place for

Answer 9

where disputes between ministers can be dealt with out of the public eye

Question 10

what does the cabinet do during coalition government

Answer 10

they reconcile differences between coalition partners

Question 11

when is the cabinet more significant

Answer 11

under coalition

Question 12

who deals with crises and emergencies

Answer 12

Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA)

Question 13

What powers does the PM have over the Cabinet

Answer 13

powers of patronage

Question 14

how has the Americanisation of the political system reduced the power of the cabinet

Answer 14

they rely less on the cabinet for policy advice, and more on political advisors

Question 15

what gives the PM power to silence dissenters in the Cabinet

Answer 15

collective responsibility

Question 16

what has happened to the Cabinet in recent years

Answer 16

they meet for less time and tends to rubber-stamp decisions made elsewhere

Question 17

how does the PM control Cabinet

Answer 17

they control the workings of the Cabinet by shaping the Cabinet’s agenda as well as chairing meetings. They decide the number and nature of Cabinet

Question 18

what is the growth of cabinet committees seen as

Answer 18

a way for the PM to bypass the Cabinet as a form of ‘inner cabinet’

Question 19

how can the cabinet give PM lots of power

Answer 19

a cabinet united behind its PM gives a PM enormous power

Question 20

what is collective responsibility

Answer 20

it is a convention that requires that they all stick to an agreed responsibility and do not question it in public.

Question 21

why is collective responsibility necessary

Answer 21

it ensures the minister present a united front against the opposition
it means that discussions inside the Cabinet remain private and disagreement remains confidential
it binds the government together
it can enhance the prime ministerial power

Question 22

what are ministers legal responsibilities

Answer 22

responsible for all that goes on within their own department
must give accurate information to Parliament, if they mislead Parliament they are expected
the PM decides how long a minister remains in office

Question 23

what is an example of a ministers departmental responsibility

Answer 23

David Cameron resigned as PM after the UK had voted to leave the EU in June 2016. However, Theresa May did not resign as Home Sec in 2011 over lapses in border controls as she argued that a civil servant, Brodie Clark, acted beyond the guidelines she gave him

Question 24

what is an example of ministers having to give accurate information in 2018

Answer 24

Amber Rudd resigned as Home SEc in 2018 as she inadvertently misled Parliament over the question of whether she knew about targets to remove illegal immigrants.

Question 25

what is an example of ministers having to give accurate information in 2011

Answer 25

Liam Fox had to resign in Oct 2011 as Werrity in the Ministry of Defence business came into the public domain

Question 26

what is an example of the PM deciding how long a minister remains in office

Answer 26

In 2002 Estelle Morris resigned as education sec after failing to meet gov targets on literacy and numeracy tests.

Question 27

What is an example of an MP staying despite other advice

Answer 27

Theresa May remained Home Sec in 2012 despite confusion over deadlines for appeals against Abu Qatada’s deportation to Jordan

Question 28

What is a minister’s political responsibility

Answer 28

they are responsible for their own political conduct. In this situation, ministers may be forced to resign because of personal failure, which is not necessarily related to their performance as a minister

Question 29

what does a politicians fate depend on

Answer 29

how serious an issue is perceived be, how critical Parliament is about the matter and any media response, how the PM responds to the issue

Question 30

Why did Maria Miller resign and when

Answer 30

She resigned as culture sec in 2014 after a row over her expenses

Question 31

Why did Mark Harper resign and when

Answer 31

He resigned as immigration minister in 2014 after it emerged his cleaner did not have permission to work in the UK

Question 32

Why did Chris Huhne resign and when

Answer 32

He resigned in 2012 as he was told he would face a criminal charge for avoiding a speeding offence

Question 33

Why did Conservative MP Brooks Newmark step down

Answer 33

he stepped down as a minister over a newspaper report that he sent an explicit image of himself to an undercover reporter

Question 34

Why was Peter Mandelson forced to resign

Answer 34

over the allegation that he abused his position to give the Hinduja brothers passports. The PM told him he had to resign without waiting to see how accurate such allegations were