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Difficulty: MediumParliamentary System of Government

In a parliamentary system of government, executive accountability is maintained through specific constitutional conventions. Which of the following best describes the core requirement of individual ministerial responsibility?

  1. A minister must answer to parliament for the administration of their department and resign in cases of severe ministerial or departmental failure.Answer
  2. B
    The entire cabinet must resign immediately whenever an individual minister commits a personal administrative error.
  3. C
    A minister is shielded from legislative scrutiny and answers exclusively to the ceremonial Head of State.
  4. D
    A minister must obtain formal policy approval from senior civil servants before presenting departmental decisions to parliament.

Answer

Individual ministerial responsibility requires a minister to answer to parliament for the operation of their government department and to accept political accountability, including resignation in instances of major administrative or personal misconduct.
In a parliamentary government, individual ministerial responsibility is the convention whereby each minister is held personally accountable to the legislature for the actions, errors, and administration of their specific ministry or department. When major maladministration or personal scandal occurs, the minister is expected to explain, rectify, or resign.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core feature of individual ministerial responsibility in a parliamentary system.
Individual ministerial responsibility focuses on the personal accountability of a single minister to the legislature for their department's performance.
It forms part of parliamentary executive accountability alongside collective cabinet responsibility.
2
Distinguish individual responsibility from collective responsibility.
While collective responsibility requires all cabinet members to support cabinet decisions publicly or resign together upon losing a vote of no confidence, individual responsibility applies specifically to a single minister's departmental oversight.
Conflating cabinet-wide resignation with single-minister accountability is a common conceptual error.

Key Concept

Individual Ministerial Responsibility
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Parliamentary System of Government

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