ABSTRACT
The recent experience of Coalition Government from 2010–15 will be considered throughout, as a relative rarity for the UK, and one that brought about some changes—for that period—to the operation of central government. The ability of a government to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons is central to its authority to govern. Hence, the rules governing the civil service could be altered without reference to Parliament, as happened when Blair amended the Order in Council to give Special Advisers the executive powers Brown later revoked. This chapter discusses the conventions and practices by which the exercise of the vast powers of central government may be scrutinised by, and made accountable to, Parliament. What is needed is the establishment of a convention that heads of executive agencies would have delegated authority from their ministers for operations of the agencies within the framework of policy directives and resource allocations prescribed by ministers.
