Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
PM and the Executive - Coggle Diagram
PM and the Executive
Parts of the political
Prime Minister
- head of the executive
- chairs cabinet & manages its agenda
- appoints all members of cabinet and junior ministers ; decides who sits on cabinet commitees
- organises the structure of government, can create, abolish or merge departments
- 'primus inter pares', 'first among equals' in cabinet
Cabinet
- consists of 23 ministers (including the PM) who mostly hold the title 'Secretary of state'
- main collective decision-making body (meets once a week)
- once decisions are made, they are binding on all gov ministers (collective responsibility)
- cabinet divided Into cabinet committees & sub-committees on specific policy areas, often here that decisions are made
- amount of committees varies per PM
Cabinet office:
provides administrative support for cabinet & ensure it operates effectively
- timetables meetings
- writes agenda
- circulates minutes
- ensures ministers are prepared for cabinet and committee meetings
supports collective government
- coordinates policies that cut across multiple departments
- resolves disputes between departments
Government departments
- each responsible for an area of policy (e.g. department of education)
- headed by cabinet members
- supported by junior ministers responsible for specific aspects of work of the department
- each department staffed by a large number of civil servants
Ministerial pyramid
1) Secretary of State (1)
2) Ministers of State (2 or 3)
3) Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (several)
4) Parliamentary Secretaries (more)
Ams-length bodies
checks / regulation of areas of public interests which the gov has legislative power over
Executive agencies
- business units that are part of a department but have separate management
- perform specific functions & deliver services determined by the department
- e.g. DVLA sponsored by Department of Transport
Non-departmental public bodies
- established by departments, but legally seperate (staff not civil servants)
- e.g. environmental agency
Non-ministerial departments
- headed by civil servants, not ministers
- have more control over their policies and budgets, often accountable to parliament
The Executive
The role of the executive
- making and implementing policy
- proposing legislation
- proposing a budget
Prerogative powers
authority and power left in the hands of the crown
Main powers
- grand & withdraw passports
- appoint ministers and other senior office holders
- award honours (handful personally given)
- declare war & authorise use of armed forces
- take action to maintain order in case of emergency
- grant legal pardons
some powers have been abolished and reformed
- 2011 Fixed Term Parliament Act, removed right of PM to determine date of general election (changed again now)
- modern convention, military action requires prior parliamentary approval
Control of legislative agenda
controls most of parliamentary time available for legislation
- except for 20 opposition days and 13 set aside for private members bills, and time allocated for debates chosen by Backbench Business Commitee
- also has ability to limit how long government bills spend in committee stage, report stage and third reading ; reduces chance of bills being held up and delayed
Powers of secondary legislation
primary legislation (not executive, acts of parliament) only sets out broad aims, leaves finer details to ministers in form of statutory instruments
- e.g. minimum wage, est. in 1998 Minimum Wage Act
- secondary still have to be approved by parliament, but rarely debated or rejected
Role of Cabinet
What is the cabinet?
- a committee of the leading members of gov
- 20-25 members
- top 4: Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary
What are cabinet functions?
- co-ordinate & implement gov policy
- deal with "events" relating to the executive
- reach a consensus of opinion, and in doing so, adopt a common position
- set gov agenda, registering & ratifying decisions taken elsewhere in cabinet system
- discussing & making decisions on major issues
- receiving reports on key development & determining gov business in parliament
- settling disputes between government departments
The cabinet?
- prominence of the Cabinet has arguably declined since the 1960s, PMs often rely on advisors on direct policy
- can cause repetitional problems for the PM
- high-profile resignations can affect PMs repuation
- challenges to idea of collective responsibility ('sofa government', 'inner circle' of trusted advisors
-
-
History of the PM
Historical context
- 1600s, power of monarchy decreases significantly, and the role of Parliament increased significantly
- powers of executive increase establishment of constitutional monarchy
- Sir Robert Walpole, first person to hold title of PM (1721-1742)
The PM role
- PM of the UK is 'Primus inter pares' (first along equals)
- First lord of the treasury
- minister of the civil service
- informally, head of the government
- PM is the senior member of the cabinet, but all decisions are taken together (collective responsibility)
Styles of PM leadership
Philip Norton presents a theory comprising 3 different styles of prime ministerial leadership, and some can be in more than 1 category
-
-
Cabinet factors
Individual responsibility - cabinet minister responsibility for actions of their ministry or department (constitutional convention)
Collective responsibility - everyone backs & supports decisions made in cabinet, they resign if not (constitutional convention)
-