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Question: To what extent are Ministers genuinely accountable to Parliament? To what extent are they accountable to the courts? Consider in particular the royal prerogative.
Answer: Within a democracy, those who govern must be accountable, or responsible, to those whom they govern. The understanding of accountability was clarified by Sir Robin Butler, the Cabinet Secretary, as to mean that ‘the Minister must always answer questions and give an account to Parliament for the action of his department whether he is “responsible” in the sense of attracting personal criticism himself, or not’ which is distinguished from the concept of ministerial responsibility as the existence of personal culpability. The political responsibility of government and its ministers is enforced primarily through Parliament, whilst the legal responsibility of ministers and officials for their acts is enforced by the courts. These institutions hold ministers genuinely accountable through......(short extract)
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Details: - Mark: 65% | Course: Constitutional and Administrative Law | Year: 1st | Words: 2493 | References: Yes | Date written: December, 2010 | Date submitted: March 08, 2012 | Coursework ID: 727
