Ministerial responsibility gets culpable civil servants off the hook, says richard ehrman |
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Whenever a Home Office cock-up comes to light, such as the latest concerning files on foreign convictions, the response of leader writers and MPs is always the same. Did a minister know about it? If so, he (or she) must resign.
This is the vaunted doctrine of ministerial responsibility, and as government becomes ever more complicated and incompetent so it becomes ever more outdated. As a protection for the public it is now next to useless because if no minister knew about it then, hey presto, not just the politician, but everybody else as well, is off the hook.
Civil servants, prison officials, policemen, judges - whoever it was that boobed may be subject to private censure, but the public is unlikely ever to hear about it. Government departments and quangos love to emulate the private sector, not least when it comes to
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| There is never any question of those responsible losing their jobs - unless they happen to be a minister
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pay and perks. But when mistakes are made, however bad, there is never any question of those responsible suffering any meaningful penalty, let alone losing their jobs - unless they happen to be a minister.
Yet, according to its own website, 'The Home Office is headed by the Home Secretary, who sets the agenda and long-term goals for the department. The day-to-day running and long-term strategy of the organisation is, however, the responsibility of Home Office civil servants.' There you have it, in black and white. It is the officials who are supposed to run the place.
Among the top brass listed as sitting on the Home Office's board are the Permanent Secretary, the Director General of Performance and Reform, and no less than three senior officials in charge of criminal justice. So which of them is going to take 'day-to-day' responsibility for this latest fiasco? In the private sector, anyone who ignored a large pile of important files would be out on their ear. 
FIRST POSTED JANUARY 12, 2007
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