U1 roles/powers of the first minister Flashcards
State 3 roles of the first minister
- lead the Scottish Government
- appoint the Scottish Cabinet
- lead discussions with the UK Government
Describe the first ministers role ‘lead the Scottish Governement’
-this means as first minister, Nicola Sturgeon is the leader of the Scottish Government as well as being the leader of the largest political party in Scotland
Describe the first ministers role ‘appoint the Scottish Cabinet’
-this means Nicola Sturgeon has to choose MSP’s to manage different departments of the Scottish Government
Describe the first ministers role ‘lead discussions with the UK Government
-this means that Nicola Sturgeon has to meet with Boris Johnson to discuss important issues
Give an example of the first ministers role ‘lead the Scottish Government’
-during the COVID pandemic, Nicola Sturgeon delivered daily briefings to update the public on covid statistics
Give an example of the first ministers role ‘appoint the Scottish Cabinet’
-for example Keith brown was appointed to be our Justice Secretary, he manages the Scottish justice system
Give an example of the first ministers role ‘lead discussions with the UK Government’
-Nicola sturgeon has held discussions with Boris Johnson on the impact of Brexit on Scotland
State 2 limits to the first ministers powers
- New laws must be passed by Parliament not Government
- UK Government retains control over reserved matters
Describe the limit to the first ministers power ‘new laws must be passed by Parliament not Government’
-this means that for any new law to be passed it must gain the support of the majority of all MSP’s in the Scottish Parliament
Describe the limit to first ministers power ‘UK Government retains control over reserved matters’
-this means that although the first minister is responsible for devolved matters like health and education, the first minister does not have control over matters like defence and foreign affairs as they are reserved to the UK Government
Give an example of the limit to the first ministers powers ‘new laws must be passed by Parliament not Government’
-in the 2016-2021 Parliamentary sessions, the SNP did not have a majority of MSP’s so Nicola Sturgeon had to rely on the support of opposition party MSP’s in order to pass new laws
Give an example of the limit to the first ministers power ‘UK Government retains control over reserved matters’
-Nicola Sturgeon wished to hold another independence referendum, however it’s the UK Government which has the power to permit any legally binding referendum that would break up the United Kingdom
