How government works

Source : [Link]

In the UK, the Prime Minister leads the government with the support of the Cabinet
and ministers. You can find out who runs government and how government is run, as
well as learning about the history of government.

Who runs government

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is head of the UK government. They are ultimately responsible for
all policy and decisions. They:
 oversee the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies
 appoint members of the government
 are the principal government figure in the House of Commons
The Prime Minister is The Rt Hon Theresa May MP.
The Prime Minister's Office is at 10 Downing Street

The Cabinet
The Cabinet is made up of the senior members of government. Every week during
Parliament, members of the Cabinet (Secretaries of State from all departments and
some other ministers) meet to discuss the most important issues for the government.
Ministers

01Prime Minister + 22 Cabinet ministers + 97 Other

= 120
ministers Total ministers
Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from the members of the House of
Commons and House of Lords. They are responsible for the actions, successes and
failures of their departments.

How government is run

Government departments and agencies
Departments and their agencies are responsible for putting government policy into
practice.

25Ministerial departments20Non-ministerial departments300+Agencies &

other public bodies

Government departments
Some departments, like the Ministry of Defence, cover the whole UK. Others don’t –
the Department for Work and Pensions doesn't cover Northern Ireland. This is
because some aspects of government are devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland.
Non-ministerial departments are headed by senior civil servants and not ministers.
They usually have a regulatory or inspection function like the Charity Commission.

Executive agencies
These are part of government departments and usually provide government services
rather than decide policy - which is done by the department that oversees the
agency.
An example is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (overseen by the Department
for Transport).

Other public bodies

These have varying degrees of independence but are directly accountable to
ministers. There are 4 types of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).
Executive NDPBs do work for the government in specific areas - for example, the
Environment Agency.
Advisory NDPBs provide independent, expert advice to ministers - for example, the
Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Tribunal NDPBs are part of the justice system and have jurisdiction over a specific
area of law - for example, the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Independent monitoring boards are responsible for the running of prisons and
treatment of prisoners - for example, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons.
 Civil Service
The Civil Service does the practical and administrative work of government. It is co-
ordinated and managed by the Prime Minister, in their role as Minister for the Civil
Service.
Around half of all civil servants provide services direct to the public, including:
 paying benefits and pensions
 running employment services
 staffing prisons
 issuing driving licences

Get involved
Engage with government
Interact with government through consultations and petitions to inform and influence
the decisions it makes.

Take part
Offer your skills and energy to a project in your neighbourhood, around the UK or
overseas.

Legislation
Laws go through several stages before they are passed by Parliament. The House of
Commons and the House of Lords work together to make them.
They can include:
Draft legislation
White papers outline proposals for new laws. Green papers ask for public comments
before the white paper is published.
Bills are proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones. Once agreed by
Parliament, they have to be approved by The Queen before becoming law.

Acts of Parliament
These are bills which have been approved by the Commons, the Lords, and The
Queen. The relevant government department is responsible for putting the act into
practice.

Access to information
Freedom of information
The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask any public sector
organisation for all the recorded information it has on any subject. Anyone can make
a request for information – known as a Freedom of Information (or FOI) request.
There are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live.
 Statistics
Government produces Official Statistics about most areas of public life. Statistics are
used by people inside and outside government to make informed decisions and to
measure the success of government policies and services. Find out about the
legislation that governs the publication of UK national and Official Statistics .

Transparency
The government publishes information about how government works to allow you to
make politicians, public services and public organisations more accountable. We are
committed to publishing information about:
 how much public money has been spent on what
 the job titles of senior civil servants and how much they are paid
 how the government is doing against its objectives

Data
Putting data in people’s hands can help them have more of a say in the reform of
public services. On [Link] you can easily find, review and use information about
our country and communities - for example, to develop web applications.

Devolved government
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, devolved administrations are responsible
for many domestic policy issues, and their Parliaments/Assemblies have law-making
powers for those areas.
Areas the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland
Executive are responsible for, include:
 health
 education
 culture
 the environment
 transport

Local government
Councils make and carry out decisions on local services. Many parts of England
have 2 tiers of local government: county councils and district, borough or city
councils.
In some parts of the country, there’s just one tier of local government providing all the
functions, known as a ‘unitary authority’. This can be a city, borough or county
council – or it may just be called ‘council’. As well as these, many areas also have
parish or town councils.

Parliament
Parliament is separate from government. Made up of the House of Commons and the
House of Lords, its role is to:
 look at what the government is doing
 debate issues and pass new laws
 set taxes