Ministers in the UK Government head up the various departments and give political direction to its civil servants. However, ministers come and go — depending on elections or cabinet reshuffles — leading to uncertainties on both sides.
NEW REPORT: How to be an effective minister #MinistersReflect https://t.co/jAcN9YoUrx pic.twitter.com/gk4BIYSIKu
— Institute for Gov (@instituteforgov) 2 March 2017
The report, How to be an effective minister, draws on interviews with some of the most senior Cabinet members of the last decade, including former Chancellors, Foreign Secretaries and Secretaries of State across all departments.
Although they technically have a department at their disposal, incoming ministers know that "officials are on home turf and you're a visitor," according to Damian Green, the current UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
"You tend to be quite suspicious of the advice civil servants are giving you" — particularly when taking over from a rival political party, according to Theresa Villiers, the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
"Ministers are hugely important to government, yet surprisingly little is understood about what they actually do. The vast majority of the civil service have little contact with their ministerial bosses and the public feel isolated from a political class that is seen as out of touch and elite," Nicola Hughes, the report author, said.
So have now interviewed 70+ ministers about what their jobs were like. I attempted to summarise the findings here: https://t.co/hWdrlxsqaT pic.twitter.com/9rr31PB1gl
— Nicola Hughes (@nic_hughes) 2 March 2017
"This report sheds light on the often mysterious world of government ministers. And it explains how these men and women, currently charged with delivering Brexit alongside challenging domestic policy goals and commitments, can be effective," she added.
"These last two criticisms reveal a constant tension between ministers and officials: it is difficult for officials to give honest advice and point out problems, where they exist, without seeming like they are blocking ministers' policy ideas. Knowing that they may only have a limited time in office, ministers are often in a rush to get things done and can be frustrated if they feel that officials are slowing things down," the report says.
"There were times when getting something done was like wading through treacle," said Andrew Mitchell, International Development Secretary from 2010-12.
