Smaller Government: What do Ministers do?

Current status: Government Response published with Further Report on 31 October 2011. 

Link to Further Report

Link to the Report

Report - Volume II 

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) launched an inquiry on 28 July 2010 into the number, role and effectiveness of government ministers. PASC is undertaking this inquiry as part of its wider interest in ‘smaller government’.

The Committee examined the following issues:

• What ministers actually do, and whether that work is best done by ministers drawn from Parliament
• Whether UK government has too many, not enough or the right amount of ministers (including Cabinet and junior ministers)
• The impact that the number of ministers has on both effective government and the public purse
• Implications of coalition government for the role of ministers and how they operate, both collectively and at the level of individual departments
• What plans to decentralise power away from central government mean for the role and function of ministers

Written evidence:

Writtenevidence ( PDF 258 KB)

Press Notice:

10 March: Devolving power should mean fewer Ministers - MPs urge Government

2 December 2010: PASC to hold final evidence session on 'What Ministers do'

22 November 2010: PASC to hold joint evidence session on Ministers and Quangos 

18 October 2010: Evidence session with former ministers on What do

Ministers do?  

Link to evidence session on 19 October 2010

Link to evidence session on 23 November 2010

Link to evidence session on 7 December 2010