Powers of the PM
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Powers of the Prime Minister
Deciding the structure of govt e.g. creating, merging or splitting departments
Appointing and dismissing all ministers, selecting cabinet ministers and allocating departmental responsibilities
Deciding the agenda for cabinet meetings, chairing cabinet meetings and summing up decisions recorded in cabinet
Deciding the number, composition and terms of reference of cabinet committees and may chair important committees personally
Co-ordinating govt policy
Political head of the civil service, ultimately responsible for numbers, duties and conditions of work
Appointing top civil servants, judiciary, clergy etc. awarding peerages, honours and titles
Representing the govt and country at international summits etc.
Communicating govt policy and advice to the monarch through weekly meetings
Deciding the date of general elections
Deciding the timetable of govt legislation in the commons; a function usually delegated to the leader of the house, a senior cabinet minister
Leader of the party (other powers involved with this)
Factors that enhance PMs power
PM has more time, as he does not have a department to run. (However Tony Blair has massively increased the amount of time spent on international relations)
The control of cabinet committees
PM gets tremendous support from (political advisors work for the party, civil servants are supposed to remain neutral) PM controls the the cabinet office and has access to a range of senior civil servants, but also increasingly, uses govt advisors who develop policy from a party perspective. There has been controversy about this use of advisors, since they are paid by the state through taxation, but serve the interest of the party in power.
Also, other offices support his role e.g. the PMs office at no...