ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the conditions which are supportive of accountability. The UK, India and Sri Lanka all enter the twenty first century with a requirement to establish more transparent and accountable government. Many people in the UK suggest that a Freedom of Information Act would be a useful reform to check the secret activities of government. In the UK, there is a need for constitutional adjustments, as the convention of ministerial responsibility cannot ensure effective accountability of modem government. Politicisation of the civil service has become a common problem of accountability in all three countries. Bureaucrats fulfil a purely administrative role which is distinct from a political role. In the UK, the role of administration is that of serving the legitimately constituted government irrespective of its political persuasion. Parliament in India plays an important role in making the government accountable, unlike the parliament in Bangladesh.