Transcript Her Majesty’s Government

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The phrase Her Majesty's Government is a
synonym for the governments of various
jurisdictions. Her Majesty's Government (His
Majesty's Government whilst the Sovereign is
a King) is the term for the executive authority
of the United Kingdom. The Government
includes ministerial departments, headed by
politicians, and non-ministerial departments,
headed by civil servants. The Prime Minister is
the head of the Government.
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The Prime Minister is the head of the Government
and holds the post of First Lord of the Treasury.
The appointment of the Prime Minister is
controlled by several conventions. One of the
most important conventions is that the Prime
Minister must retain the confidence (or support)
of the House of Commons. This person is often
the leader of the largest party in the Commons;
in some cases, however, the largest party does
not form a majority. If there is no single party
with a majority, then a coalition of parties may
have to be formed.
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The frontbench of Her Majesty's Government in the
Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the
Cabinet and other ministers.
Departmental Ministers
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.
Non-Departmental Ministers
The holders of various traditional offices, namely the
Lord President of the Council, the Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster, the Lord Privy Seal, the Paymaster
General and, from time to time, Ministers without
Portfolio, may have few or no department duties.
They are therefor available to perform any duties the
Prime Minister may wish to give them.
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Other officers and departments are appointed
by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime
Minister. Most of members of the Cabinet the body of senior politicians heading
ministerial departments - officers are from
the House of Commons, but some, such as
the Lord Chancellor, are from the House of
Lords.
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The modern Cabinet system
was set up by Prime Minister
David Lloyd George during his
premiership of 1916–22, with
a Cabinet Office and
Secretariat, committee
structures, unpublished
Minutes, and a clearer
relationship with
departmental Cabinet
Ministers. This development
grew out of the exigencies of
the First World War, where
faster and better coordinated decisions across
Government were seen as
crucial part of the war effort.
"War is too important to be
left to the generals.“© Lloyd
George
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The pattern of local government
in England is complex, with the
distribution of functions varying
according to the local
arrangements. Legislation
concerning local government in
England is decided by the
Parliament and Government of
the United Kingdom, because
England does not have a
devolved parliament.
Local government in Scotland is
organised through 32 unitary
authorities[1] consisting of
councillors elected every four
years by registered voters in each
of the council areas.
Scottish councils co-operate
through, and are represented
collectively by, the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
Local government in Wales
For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authority areas, which are responsible
for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and
roads services. Below these in some areas there are community councils, which cover specific areas
within a council area. The unitary authority areas are referred to in local government legislation as the
principal areas of Wales, but are almost never referred to by that designation in Wales. They are
variously styled: nine areas are styled as counties, three as cities (two of which as City and County), and
ten as county boroughs, although all authorities have equal powers.
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Councils also have a general power to
"promote economic, social and environmental
well-being" of their area. However, like all
public bodies, they are limited by the doctrine
of ultra vires, and may only do things that
common law or an Act of Parliament
specifically or generally allows for - in
contrast to the earlier incorporated municipal
corporations which were treated as natural
persons and could undertake whatever
activities they wished to.