Vocabulary

accountable adj подотчетный

ad hoc committee лат. временный комитет; ad hoc лат. для данного случая

bind v 1 скреплять; 2 обязывать (законом)

department n министерство, управление, департамент

dispose (of) v отклонить

exercise v 1 осуществлять; 2 выполнять

Her Majesty’s Government правительство Её Величества (официальное название правительства при правлении королевы)

issue n 1 спорный вопрос; 2 предмет обсуждения, спора или разногласий

Life Peer пожизненный пэр (лицо, получившее титул барона, дающий право быть членом палаты лордов, но не передающийся по наследству)

Prime Minister премьер-министр

resignation n отставка

rest with v возлагать (ответственность) на

Standing Cabinet Committee постоянная комиссия при кабинете министров

ultimate adj окончательный

vote of confidence вотум доверия

Reading tasks

Answer these questions.

1 What are the major functions of the Prime Minister in the UK?

2 How does the Prime Minister take office?

3 How is the Cabinet formed?

4 What are the functions of the Cabinet?

5 How does the committee system ease the workload of the Cabinet?

6 What are individual ministers within the Cabinet responsible for? How is the Government accountable to the people?

7 Who holds the ultimate decision-making power in the Government?

Language focus

Make these sentences negative. Add the correct variant.

1. The position of the Prime Minister exists constitutionally.

2. The Government and the Cabinet are formed by the political party having the minority support in the House of Commons.

3. The number of ministers in the Cabinet depends on the population in the country.

4. The Prime Minister’s main responsibility is to make speeches in the House of Lords.

5. The Cabinet plays the leading role in law-making.

6. The Committee system is the way of getting the majority of seats in the House of Commons.

7. The monarch holds the ultimate decision-making power in the Government.

Vocabulary tasks

A Complete the following text with the words and phrases from the box.

Parliament failure in administration ministerial responsibility Departmental Ministers Government’s policy

House of Commons collective responsibility

The doctrine of 1) _____ _____ means that the Cabinet acts unanimously even when Cabinet ministers do not all agree on a subject. The policy of 2) _____ _____ must be consistent with the policy of the Government as a whole. Once the 3) _____ _____ on a matter has been decided, each minister is expected to support it or resign.

The doctrine of 4) _____ _____ means that ministers are answerable to 5) _____ for all their departments' activities. They bear the consequences of any 6) _____ _____, any injustice to an individual or any aspect of policy which may be criticized in Parliament, whether personally responsible or not. Since most ministers are members of the 7) _____ _____, they must answer questions and defend themselves against criticism in person.

B Match these terms with their definitions.

1	Cabinet	a	a person in a court who has the authority to decide cases
2	Parliament	b	a person who rules a country
3	Standing Committee	c	a person who is in a position of authority in the government
4	ad hoc	d	a group of chosen members of a government which is responsible for advising and deciding on government policy
5	Monarch	e	members of the nobility
6	Prime Minister	f	the group of people who are elected to make and change the laws of a country
7	Peers	g	arranged or happening when necessary and not planned in advance
8	Judge	h	committee existing or arranged permanently
9	Officer	i	the main minister and leader of the government