Ministers and Civil Servants By Mike Allen 1

The Ministerial Role A Senior Minister at the head of a department will have a number of responsibilities: • Cabinet Minister – To represent his department, particularly in the context of other departments for financial resources and Parliamentary time – To contribute to general cabinet discussion. A minister should not become to immersed in the affairs of his own department – The minister will be a member of cabinet committees and may chair some 2

The Ministerial Role • Relationship with the PM – To inform the PM of policy initiatives and possible problems – To report progress on implementing policy 3

The Ministerial Role • Parliament – generally the minister will represent his department. This will include: – Making policy statements and announcements relating to recent events. – Answering Parliamentary Questions, and questions at other times. – Guiding legislation through Parliament. – Responding to formal and informal contacts from MPs. 4

The Ministerial Role • The Public – the minister acts as a kind of ambassador for the department and represents it on the mass media. – the minister meets representations from important pressure groups – he/she also represents government policy as a whole. 5

The Ministerial Role • The Minister continues to be a constituency MP – it very rare for a senior minister to be a peer. • The Party - the Minister would continue to have a role in the Party and may have an important role in the party. – In the run up to an election one of the senior ministers would have a key role in running the campaign. 6

The Ministerial Role • The Department – Policy Initiator • Initially this would be based on the manifesto. – Policy selector • The minister would have to decide what should be his decision and what should be the Cabinets. • The minister makes decisions as to what policy should be carried out. 7

The Ministerial Role • Progress chaser • The minister is an executive in the department making decisions on implementing policy as decided by cabinet and/or by Cabinet Committee, and by himself. 8

The Ministerial Departmental Structure • Secretary of State – the senior minister – a cabinet minister • Minister of State occasionally a cabinet minister • Parliamentary Under Secretary • Parliamentary Private Secretary 9

The Civil Service • There were 484, 000 full time equivalent (FTE) permanent Civil Service employees at 31 March 2010, as well as 8, 000 FTE temporary staff. 10

The Civil Service Very Old Title. . Old Title Nowadays often known as Cabinet Secretary & Head of the Civil Service Permanent Secretary (Civil Service Head of each department) Deputy Grade 2 Director General Secretary Senior Under Secretary Grade 3 Director Civil Service Assistant Grade 5 Secretary Senior Principal Grade 6 & Grade & Principal 7 Director or Assistant Director Deputy Director, 11 Assistant Director,

The Civil Service General Service Group Old Title Nowadays often known as Senior Principal Grade 6 (NIO Grade A) Principal Grade 7 (NIO Grade A) Deputy Principal (NIO Grade B 1) Senior Executive Officer Staff Officer (NIO Grade B 2) Higher Executive Officer I (NIO Grade C) Executive Officer II (NIO Grade C) Administrative Officer (NIO Grade D 1) Administrative Assistant (NIO Grade D 2) 12

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Impartial selection – By open competition with no patronage. – Recruitment to the civil service is by interviews and administrative tests. – However Mrs Thatcher and Tony Blair were accused of promoting civil servants on a political basis. 13

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Civil Service System in China – Civil examinations were based on teachings of Confucius and were held during the Han Dynasty. – People who passed those exams could work for the government. They only selected few who were highly educated. – Only high class people took these exams because they were the only who knew characters and words. – So basically high-class people became part of the government, and this cycle repeated and repeated again. – Does this remind you of anything? 14

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Permanence – The civil servants remain in post whatever the government. – However governments since 1964 have appointed advisors as temporary civil servants who have been recognised as political advisors since 1974. – Mrs Thatcher abolished the Civil Service Department and forced the Permanent Secretary and Deputy Secretary into early retirement. 15

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Neutrality – The civil service are non-party political. They are obliged to serve different governments and parties impartially. – The political activities of civil servants are restricted. They may become members of political parties but are not allowed to take part in party campaigning. They may not become parliamentary candidates without resigning. – However political advisors are party political. 16

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Neutrality continued • There have been accusations of bias in the civil service – The Left view (e. g. Tony Benn) The civil service is part of the establishment, they come from the higher socio economic backgrounds, they share similar views to the rest of the establishment and the combine to stop radical socialist governments 17

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Neutrality continued – The Right View (e. g. the Adam Smith Institute and the Centre for Policy Studies) The civil service share the social democratic views that have been the consensus since 1945 and are opposed to a radical libertarian government. – These 2 views are incompatible. The civil service may be disposed towards the status quo. 18

The Traditional Characteristics of the Civil Service • Anonymity – Civil servants work behind the scenes. It used to be unusual to criticise or praise individual civil servants. – However civil servants have come more into the public eye. They have been named and criticised in the media and they appear before the Select Committees of the House of Commons to give evidence and answer questions. 19

The Role of top Civil Servants Advising ministers on policy to be followed Preparing ministerial briefs to Parliament. Helping guide legislation through Parliament. Drafting delegated legislation. Carrying out and coordinating the implementation of policy. A précised version of the Haldane Report on Machinery of Government 1918. • • • 20

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