Executive branch

The executive comprises the Government (members of the Cabinet and other Ministers responsible for policies); government departments and agencies; local authorities; public corporations; independent regulatory bodies; and certain other organisations subject to Ministerial control. Her Majesty's Government consists of those Ministers responsible for the conduct of national affairs. The Queen alone appoints the Prime Minister, and all other Ministers are appointed by her on the Prime Minister's recommendation. Most Ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by Ministers in the Lords. The Lord Chancellor is always a member of the House of Lords.

The composition of governments can vary both in the number of Ministers and in the titles of some offices. New Ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished, and functions may be transferred from one Minister to another. The Government makes the important decisions, e.g. about foreign policy, education, or health, but many of these decisions have to be approved by Parliament. Members of the Government are usually members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords, to enable Parliament to keep a check on their work by asking questions, debating, etc. (1081)

TEXT 9 PRIME MINISTER

The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury⁷⁰ and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister's unique position of authority comes from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss Ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the Commons.

The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for allocating functions among Ministers and, at regular meetings with the Queen, informs her of the general business of the Government.

The Prime Minister's other responsibilities include recommending a number of appointments to the Queen. These include Church of England archbishops, bishops and certain deans and some 200 other clergy in Crown 'livings'⁷¹; senior judges, such as the Lord Chief Justice; Privy Counsellors; and Lords Lieutenant⁷². He also recommends certain civil appointments, such as the Constable of the Tower of London some university posts and appointments to several public boards and institutions, such as the BBC, as well as various royal and statutory commissions.

The Prime Minister’s Office supports him in his role as head of Government. This includes providing policy advice, tracking the delivery of Government commitments and initiatives, and ensuring effective communications to Parliament, the media and the public.

(1140)

TEXT 10 THE CABINET

The Cabinet is the committee at the centre of the British government system. The modern history of the Cabinet begins in the 16th century with the Privy Council, a small group of advisers to the Monarch. Sir Robert Walpole, the first 'Prime Minister' (1721-1742), held occasional meetings of the King's Ministers - Cabinet - but not in its modern form. The 1832 Reform Act emphasised the need for government to have the confidence of Parliament as well as the Monarch and for it to act coherently. William Pitt (1783-1801) established the right of the Prime Minister to ask Ministers to resign. So the conventions of collective Cabinet responsibility and Prime Ministerial control developed. They enabled Ministers to stand together against Parliament under clear leadership. Up to 1916, a letter written by the PM to the Monarch was the only recorded decisions of Cabinet. In 1916 the 'War' Cabinet Secretariat and the post of Cabinet Secretary were created. This basic system has survived since then.

The Prime Minister chairs the meetings, selects its members, and also recommends their appointment as Ministers by the Monarch. Most members are Secretaries of State⁷³ by title, with some exceptions. The number of members that can be paid as Cabinet Ministers is limited to 21; these may include both departmental and non-departmental Ministers. The present Cabinet has 22 members (18 MPs and four peers). Normally the Cabinet meets once a week in 10 Downing Street (usually on a Thursday morning) when Parliament is sitting, and less often when it is not. As well as the 21 full Cabinet members, one other Minister also regularly attends - the Chief Whip⁷⁴ (Lords). The Cabinet has no legal powers, they are held by Secretaries of State. But it has collective responsibility to Parliament so all members are bound to support Cabinet decisions even if they were not present.

Much of the work of Cabinet is delegated to Committees. The Prime Minister decides who sits on the Committees and what they are responsible for. Cabinet Committees include those dealing with defence and overseas policy, economic policy, home and social affairs, the environment, and local government. Since 1992 the membership and terms of reference of all Ministerial Cabinet Committees has been published. Some of the Committees exist for short periods to deal with a particular issue.

Cabinet Committees take some of the pressure off the full Cabinet by settling issues among smaller groups of people or at a lower level, or at least by clarifying them and defining points of disagreement. Committees let those Ministers most closely concerned come to decisions in a way which ensures that the Government as a whole can accept full responsibility for them. This delegated responsibility means that Cabinet Committee decisions have the same formal status as those taken by the full Cabinet.

The Cabinet Secretary is a senior civil servant who reports directly to the Prime Minister and is responsible for preparing records of Cabinet discussions and decisions. Where appropriate, the Cabinet Secretary and other senior Cabinet Office officials go to meetings of the Cabinet and its Committees. The Cabinet Secretariat including the Secretary, Deputy and Assistant Secretaries calls meetings, circulates papers, prepares the agenda (under the PM's direction), writes and circulates the conclusions, and keeps them.

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