Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumControl of Civil Service and Bureaucratic Problems

During a review of state expenditure, a legislative public accounts committee summons the Permanent Secretary of a ministry to account for unauthorized financial disbursements found in the annual audit report. Which mechanism of civil service control is being exercised in this scenario?

  1. Legislative control over public expenditureAnswer
  2. B
    Judicial control through administrative review
  3. C
    Executive control via ministerial directives
  4. D
    Administrative control by the Ombudsman

Answer

Legislative control over public expenditure is demonstrated when a parliamentary public accounts committee interrogates administrative accounting officers regarding ministry financial audits.
Legislative control over public expenditure is demonstrated when elected lawmakers scrutinize how civil servants spend state funds. In democratic systems, the Permanent Secretary serves as the accounting officer of a ministry, and committees like the Public Accounts Committee exercise parliamentary oversight by reviewing audit reports and examining administrative spending.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the actor and institutional body conducting the control mechanism in the scenario.
The acting body is a legislative public accounts committee investigating financial disbursements.
Control mechanisms are classified primarily by the organ of government or institution exercising oversight over civil servants.
2
Match the institutional oversight function to its recognized category of civil service control.
Scrutinizing financial audit reports and questioning accounting officers falls under legislative power of the purse and parliamentary control.
The legislature holds constitutional authority to approve public budgets and ensure funds are spent strictly as appropriated.

Key Concept

Legislative control of the civil service
Rate this question

Topics

Control of Civil Service and Bureaucratic Problems

More questions from this topic