Prime minister and the consecutive Flashcards
What is the UK executive?
in the British parliamentary system the executive sits within the legislature and is responsible for the government of the country
Define core executive
the most important elements of the government, including the cabinet, senior civil servants and key political advisers based in the prime ministers private office
define secondary legislation
also known as delegated legislation, the process by which primary legislation can be amended by government departments without requiring another act of parliament
Define the doctors mandate
a way in which theexecutive governs the nation. it introduces legislation into parliament in response to changing circumstances
list the sources of prime ministerial power
- they have been asked by the monarc to form a government on their behalf
- prime minister requires support from majority of the MPs from their party
- convention that states the PM should be a member of the HoC
Define royal perogative
The executie power of the monarchy, such as command of the armed forces, patronage and the conduct of foreign policy. As the UK is a constitutional monarchy, these powers have now been transferred to the prime minister, who wileds them on behalf of the monarch witout requiring the consent of the legislature
Cabinet minister
a senior member of government. Mostmembers of the cabinet head a department of state and so have a major administrative and policy making function. they attend cabinet and are bound by the principle of collective ministerial repsonsibility.
Government department
an executive branch of government. ts role is to implement government policy and administer its areas of interest and control
list three royal perogative powers exercised by the PM
- determines the membership of the government, including the cabinet and the cabinet committees
- makes senior appointments to the civil service and judiciary
- recommends most appointment of life peers to the House of Lords
what is the role of the civil service in government
the civil service is defined by the principles of neutrality, anonymity and permanence, which means that civil servants should provide impartial advice to any government on policy development and implementation
define individual ministerial responsibility
the principle that members of the cabinet take ultimate responsibility for what occurs within their department, including both administrative and policy failures. they are also individually responsibile to the prime minister for their personal conduct
what is administrative failure
an Administration fails if they have been unable to achieve the chosen purpose or complete their Administration
give an example of ministers resigning over administrative failure (1954)
Sir Thomas Dugdale resigned as minister of agriculture over the crichel down affair, when his department failed to return land to its rightful owner after it had been compulsorily purchased to be a bombing range before the second world war.
define collectve ministerial responsibility
all members of the government are expected to publicly support it. if a minister cannot do this, they should resign, they should also not disclose the contents of private ministerial discussions. if the administration is defeated on a vote of confidence, this convention also states that all members of the government must reisgn.
what is policy failure?
when a policy does not achieve its stated objectives
