Question

Difficulty: EasyThe Civil Service: Characteristics, Organization, and Functions

Under the principle of civil service anonymity, the political head of a government ministry bears public and parliamentary responsibility for policy decisions executed by civil servants.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True. Under the convention of ministerial responsibility and civil service anonymity, political heads take public accountability while civil servants remain anonymous behind the scenes.
The statement is correct because the principle of civil service anonymity requires career administrators to work discreetly while their political head assumes public credit or blame for departmental administration.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core concept of civil service anonymity.
Civil service anonymity means that civil servants carry out official duties behind the scenes without receiving public praise or blame for government decisions.
This insulates career administrators from political controversy and maintains their neutrality.
2
Determine who holds public accountability for ministry actions.
The political head (minister or commissioner) represents the ministry publicly and answers to parliament and the electorate.
Constitutional practice delegates political responsibility to political appointees rather than non-elected civil servants.

Key Concept

Civil Service Anonymity and Ministerial Responsibility
Rate this question