ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION While we primarily identify the executive as the Prime Minister and his or her chosen government ministers, the personnel of the executive in fact includes the staff of all government departments and all civil servants. The primary functions of the executive are to execute and formulate policies and to implement legislation. Beyond government departments, the civil service undertakes the day-to-day administration of executive powers, such as the police force, which administers law and order, or the army, which undertakes the defence of the nation. However, in this chapter we shall use the term ‘the executive’ in its particular sense, that is, to refer to those members of central government holding executive power.
