3.2 concept of ministerial responsibility

• individual responsibility is where ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and their departments
• collective minstrel responsibility- is where ministers must support the cabinets decision
• examples of failure for individual responsibility- 2010 David laws chief secretary claimed parliamentary expenses to pay his rent, 2012 chris Huhre charged with perverting the course of justice over a speeding prosecution
• examples of collective responsibilty-  Under the collective responsibility rules, robin Cook was unable to publicly speak out about his objections to the war in Iraq. Following the tenets of the convention, he resigned from his office, and spoke from the backbenches of his disagreement with the government’s position 2003, 2014 Baroness Warsi disagreed with government policy on israel Gaza conflict
• collective responsibility doesnt apply- YIt was formally set aside during the 2016 EU referendum campaign so that ministers could campaign for either side of the vote. Collective responsibility was also suspended in October 2016 so that ministers could maintain individual positions on the decision to build a third runway at Heathrow.
• collective responsibility does still aplly- While individual ministers are responsible for their own departments, collective responsibility ensures that the entire government is held accountable for its decisions and policies. This promotes transparency and helps to maintain public trust in government institutions.
• collective ministreal responsibilty isnt relevant In coalition governments where multiple parties are represented in the cabinet, maintaining collective responsibility can be challenging. Different parties may have divergent policy priorities, making it difficult to achieve consensus and unity on all issues. In such cases, there may be a greater emphasis on compromise and flexibility rather than strict
• individual responsibility is relevant- Knowing that their performance will directly impact their political career, ministers are motivated to work diligently and achieve results in their respective portfolios.
• induvial responsibility isn't relevant- There is a risk that the concept of individual responsibility can be misused for political purposes, leading to scapegoating of individuals for broader systemic failures or as a means of deflecting blame from other actors or institutions.