the main roles in government

Unit 1

Government, policies and the public services

View this in slide show now.

Branches of government

• In our last session we looked at the three ‘systems of power’ that work together to ensure the smooth running of the nation.

Legislative power

Judicial power Executive power

• The aim of this session is to enable you to understand the main roles in government in the UK.

• The objective is that upon completion of this session you will have studied:– The main roles of:

• The Prime Minister• Government Ministers• Members of Parliament (MPs)• Mayors• Council members

The main roles in government

• The government in its current form could not work effectively without people who fulfil the main roles needed to ensure the country works effectively and decisions are made and implemented:


Key terms:

• Prime Minister: the leader of the political party with the most seats in the House of Commons.

• Ministers: usually MPs appointed by the Prime Minister to take charge of a government office.

• The Cabinet: committee of the most senior government ministers who meet once a week to support the Prime Minister in running the country.

The Prime Minister (PM)

• The leader of the political party with the highest number of ministers in the HOC.

• Very demanding and difficult job.

The Prime Minister (PM)• Admin, bureaucratic and

public duties:– Allocation of duties to

ministers– Appointment and dismissal

of ministers– Appointment of chairs of

national industries– The giving out of honours– Sets the agenda for

government business– Controls the release of

information to the Cabinet, Parliament and the public.

The power of the PM• Most influential politician

in Cabinet.• Significant role in EU and

world matters.• Meets with other heads of

state to discuss global foreign and financial polices.

• His decisions have implications beyond UK borders.

Government ministers• MPs appointed by the

Prime Minister to take charge of a government office.

• The 20 or so most important form the PMs most trusted advisers.

• They are called the Cabinet.

The role of the Cabinet• To ensure that key social

problems are reviewed, such as rising crime rates, inflation and the state of the NHS.

• To help ensure that all government ministries are able to communicate freely with each other.

• To ensure that decisions taken by one department do not have unintended consequences on another department.

Members of Parliament (MP)• Each MP is elected to represent the views of

their area of the country.• They listening to and act upon the concerns of

their ‘constituents’.• The less senior they are in the government the

more time they have to represent their constituents views.

• They work for their local population; they deal with and report to central government local concerns.

Members of Parliament (MP)

• MPs vote on changes to and the introduction of new laws.

• Such votes can change the way the public services work and what they are allowed to do.

• Think of an existing law or a proposed new law that you disagree with or a new law that you think needs to be introduced. Lets discuss your thinking.

Mayors• Normally elected by local

councillors for one year.• Their main duties are:

– Representing their local council on civic and ceremonial occasions.

– Chairing meeting of the local council.

– Promoting their area.– Supporting charities and

community projects.

If you were Mayor of where you lived what would you change or improve?

Local Council Members• Local councillors are elected by the local

community.• Their role is to improve the quality of life in their

area such as:– Local transport– Local education– Local public services

• They are often local community leaders and promote the interests of local concerns.

• Think of an improvement you would like to a local issue where you live and let’s discuss it.

Summary• The aim of this session was to enable you to

understand the main roles in government in the UK.

• The objective was that upon completion of this session you will have studied:– The main roles of:


Any questions?

Next session?

• To know the responsibilities of government departments.

the main roles in government

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