Government Structure

[Richard]

Forming a Government

Who appoints?

All government ministers are appointed by the sovereign (currently Queen Elizabeth II) on the recommendation of her Prime Minister. Functionally, this means that the Prime Minister appoints all ministers of the crown. As such, the Prime Minister is free to appoint whomever they want. The only rule is that you must keep the Cabinet list on the forums updated and you must make a separate post for each update (no edits!). Failure to do so will see ministers losing their red boxes and their cars.

Mixing and Matching Departments

There are multiple strategies for mixing and matching departments. The Administrative Team will instead set a structure with a few key ministries to ensure a more cohesive Cabinet.

Great Offices of State - Traditionally the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer (head of HM Treasury), the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and the Secretary of State for the Home Department (head of the Home Office) are referred to as the Great Offices of State. These are traditionally seen as the senior members of the Cabinet. As such, you are required to fill these roles and they cannot be changed.

Double Jobbing - Due to player numbers, a player holding multiple jobs is acceptable (ie, being Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, and Skills will be perfectly acceptable). Double jobbing is allowed and encouraged to allow maximal flexibility.

NPCs in Cabinet - NPCs may be appointed to Cabinet positions as long as the following conditions are met: all NPCs must have a listed player "handler" who will be the primary player overseeing the department and acting as the NPC in Question Time; and all NPCs are subject to the approval of the Administrative Team.

Firing ministers

Just like appointing them, ministers may be dismissed by updating your Cabinet list in a new post. Please contact an admin to remove their permissions rapidly on Discord.

[Richard]

Example Cabinet Structure

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, and Minister for the Civil Service

[Deputy Prime Minister/First Secretary of State]

Chancellor of the Exchequer
     Responsible for HM Treasury and the Department of Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
     Responsible for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for International Development

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for the Home Department
     Responsible for the Home Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Northern Ireland Office

Secretary of State for Communities
     Responsible for the Department for Communities and Local Government; the Department for Children, Schools, and Families; the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport; the Scotland Office; and the Wales Office

Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare
     Responsible for the Department of Health, the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Government Equalities Office

Secretary of State for Innovation, Infrastructure, and the Environment
     Responsible for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs; the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Skills; and the Department of Transport

Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal

Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council

[Richard]

Government Departments

PMO and Cabinet Office

Prime Minister's Office - The personal office of the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister's Office supports the Prime Minister in their day to day activities. Officially headed by the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. This office defaults to being assigned to the Prime Minister.

Cabinet Office - The office that supports the broader functions of government, it is headed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office (ministerially, who may also serve as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) and the Cabinet Secretary (in the Civil Service). It is tasked with coordinating the Cabinet and may have responsibility for cross-cutting initiatives. This is not a critical office, but can be handed out by the Prime Minister as necessary.

Departments of State

Department for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform - BERR is responsible for company law, trade, energy, business growth, employment law, regional economic development and consumer law, as well as energy policy.

Department for Children, Schools, and Families - DCSF is primarily responsible for education for those up to the age of 19, as well as child protection policy.

Department of Communities and Local Government - DCLG is responsible, broadly, for local regeneration and economic growth policies, community and neighborhood initiatives, housing, fire services, planning and building policy, and local government in England.

Department of Culture, Media, and Sport - CMS is responsible, broadly, for arts and culture, tourism, sport, and media and communications.

Ministry of Defence - MoD is responsible for defence policy and the Armed Forces.

Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs - DEFRA is responsible, broadly, for environmental protection, conservation, agriculture, fisheries, food, rural development, resilience against natural disasters, and plant and animal health.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office - FCO is responsible, broadly, for the coordination of foreign policy, relations with the European Union, foreign states, and international organisations. The Foreign Secretary is also the minister responsible for the Secret Intelligence Service and GCHQ.

Government Equalities Office - GEO is responsible for policies related to equality between the sexes, gender and sexual orientation, and racial equality.

Department of Health - DoH is responsible, broadly, for health security, the National Health Service in England, social care (in England), medical research, mental health, and public health.

Home Office - The Home Office is responsible for crime prevention and policing, immigration and borders, counterterrorism, reducing domestic extremism, safeguarding, and the Security Service.

Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills - DIUS is responsible for adult learning, further education, higher education, skills, science, and innovation.

Department for International Development - DfID is responsible, broadly, for all of the United Kingdom's international aid and policies on international development.

Ministry of Justice - The Ministry of Justice is responsible for, broadly, policies related to the judiciary, the court systems, and prisons and probation in England and Wales, as well as issues such as legal aid; additionally, it has UK-wide remit for international justice policy, freedom of information and data protection, human rights and civil liberties, the constitution, and the Supreme Court. The Secretary of State for Justice additionally serves as Lord Chancellor.

Department of Transport - DoT is responsible for transport policy broadly, including major capital projects.

HM Treasury - HM Treasury is responsible for fiscal and tax policy, banking, financial services, and financial markets (and their regulation), the overall direction of economic policy, relations with the Bank of England, ministerial oversight of HMRC, and international economic and financial policy.

Department of Work and Pensions - DWP oversees the United Kingdom's social security system, including all welfare and pensions policy. Additionally, DWP operates employment programmes, such as JobCentres, that are designed to reduce unemployment.

Northern Ireland Office - Responsible for Northern Ireland and devolution there.

Scotland Office - Responsible for Scotland and devolution there.

Wales Office - Responsible for Wales and devolution there.

Parliamentary Offices

Leader of the House of Commons - Controls timetables in the House of Commons.

Leader of the House of Lords - Controls debate in the House of Lords once a bill passes the Commons. Must be an NPC.

Government Chief Whip - Responsible for whipping votes in the Commons. May uncover scandals. Can be an NPC - but if so, may not be controlled by the Prime Minister.

Law Officers

Attorney General's Office - Responsible for the Crown Prosecution Service and providing the government legal advice. The admins will offer legal advice where necessary - making the Crown Prosecution Service the important part of this role.