Composition of the Government
Her Majesty’s Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. 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 Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority derives 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 House of Commons. The Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street, the official residence in central London, has a staff of civil servants who assist the Prime Minister. Ministers in charge of government departments are usually in the Cabinet; they are known as ‘Secretary of State’ or ‘Minister’, or may have a special title, as in the case of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Lord Chancellor holds a special position, as both a minister with departmental functions and the head of the judiciary. Ministers of State usually work with ministers in charge of departments. They normally have specific responsibilities, and are sometimes given titles which reflect these functions. Junior ministers – generally Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, simply Parliamentary Secretaries – share in parliamentary and departmental duties. The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers, although the number can vary. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding on policy, the supreme control of government and co-ordination of government departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of representatives, depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in private and proceedings are confidential. Normally the Cabinet meets for a few hours once a week during parliamentary sittings, and rather less often when Parliament is not sitting. To keep the workload of the Cabinet within manageable limits, a great deal of work is carried out through the committee system. This involves referring issues either to a standing Cabinet committee or to an ad hoc committee composed of the ministers directly concerned. The committee then considers the matter in detail and either disposes of it or reports upon it to the Cabinet with recommendation for action. 1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions. Administration of national affairs, by modern convention, to initiate a policy, to meet in private, the workload of the Cabinet, to implement a policy.
2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences. Передавати функції, судова система, очолювати міністерство, передавати питання на розгляд постійного комітету, детально вивчити питання, вирішити питання.
3 Comprehension questions. 1. Are all government ministers members of the House of Commons? 2. What does the PM’s influence depend on? 3. Can a Prime Minister be a member of the House of Lords? 4. What are the functions of the Lord Chancellor? 5. What are the functions of the Cabinet?
4 Translate into English paying attention to the active vocabulary. Термін «міністерська відповідальність» позначає колективну відповідальності за політику і дії уряду, і особисту відповідальність міністрів за роботу їхніх відомств. Принцип колективної відповідальності означає, що кабінет в цілому діє одностайно, навіть якщо не всі міністри-члени кабінету згодні з тим чи іншим рішенням. Політика міністрів, які очолюють міністерства, не повинна суперечити політиці уряду в цілому.
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