Thatcher 1.2 Flashcards
what were MINIS?
Management Info System for Ministers
allowed Heseltine to more closely monitor cost + responsibilities of civil servants
when + why did Thatcher abolish the Civil Service Dept.?
1981
it existed to supervise + protect its members, she saw it as another trade union
how many civil servants were sacked by 1988 + how much did this save for the gov?
22.5%
saved £1 bill
why was the ‘Next Steps’ Report in 1988 important?
it promoted less centralised civil service + rise of more flexible ‘agencies’ that would work w priv. sector to deliver services
how many ‘agencies’ were there by 1991?
57
what did historian Harrison say about the ‘Next Steps’ Report?
‘the most substantial revolution in civil service since 1850s’
what % of civil servants worked in ‘agencies’ in 1997 + name a few agencies
76%
e.g. Benefits Agency, Employment Service Agency + Prison Service
why was the Local Gov Act (1985) important?
enabled Thatcher to abolish councils she found troublesome - the Greater London Council + 6 other metropolitan councils were dissolved
what did the Rates Act of 1984 do?
introduced rate caps on 18 councils
why did Thatcher introduce the Rates Act of 1984?
she felt capping of local rates was at the heart of what she was trying to accomplish: making people responsible citizens rather than lazy dependants
why was the poll tax (Community Charge) significant?
- based on individuals rather than property so poor paid a higher % of their income
- unpopular + resulted in mass protests -> resignation of Thatcher
- Conservatives forced to abandon the tax + introduce a council tax (based on property value)
why was the Housing Act of 1980 important?
- gave people the ‘Right to Buy’ (those who lived in a council house for 3 or more years could buy it) -> 204,000 council houses bought 1982-83
- growth in home ownership -> 55%-63% ,1979-90
- lack of availability of council houses made it harder + more expensive for councils to house the poorest in society by 1997
what % did NHS spending rise by 1980-87 + why?
60%
Thatcher couldn’t cut the NHS or even roll it back much as people would’ve noticed so she had to tread more cautiously
what did the 1989 White Paper ‘Working for Patients’ call for?
the creation of an ‘internal market’ where health authorities would purchase healthcare services from hospital trusts
why was the 1988 Education Act important?
- introduced National curriculum, new methods of assessment at ‘key stages’ - including GCSE’s
- allowed schools to be directly funded by central gov -> increased independence for 19% of all secondary schools
