Administrative Developments in 1973 and 1974: A Survey
| Date | 01 September 1975 |
| Published date | 01 September 1975 |
| Author | JEFFREY STANYER,DAVID R. STEEL |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1975.tb00221.x |
Administrative Developments
in
1973
and
1974
:
A
Survey
DAVID R.STEEL AND JEFFREY STANYER
MrSteel and
MrStanyer
are
Lecturers
in
Politics
in
the University
of
Exetcr.
Part
I
:
Central Government
Following the spate of major developments in the
1960s
and after the
I970
General Election, the pattern
of
central government was more settled in
1973
and
1974.
Such changes
as
did occur were more the result of circum-
stances such as the fight against inflation and the energy crisis than part of
a
coherent programme
of
administrative reform. Nor did the change
of
Government in March
1974
lead to any fundamental changes in the struc-
ture
of
central administration, although
a
number of developments may
potentially have significant effects on the operation of the British system
of
government
.
A
point meriting introductory mention is the disturbing trend for official
papers not to be published in the series
of
House of Commons and Command
Papers.
As
a
result it is becoming harder to trace such material and the
task of librarians in maintaining complete sequences is more onerous.
Examples of this trend include the reports
of
many committees, the annual
reports
of
the nationalized industries and even some statements of govern-
ment policy. In the case
of
the nationalized industries, it is perhaps also
worth noting that these reports now tend to be presented in
a
manner
attractive to the eye and to public relations but lacking the hard informa-
tion of use to researchers which was included in the early reports.
A.
THE
GOVERNMENT
The principal changes in the structure of government during
1973
and
1974
arose out of the energy crisis at the end of
1973
and the change of Govern-
ment in March
1974.
The
Cabinet
The membership of the Cabinet was changed
on
seven occasions, five
of
which resulted in alterations in its size and in the offices represented. In
December
1973
the Paymaster-General was added to the Cabinet
as
an
241
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
No.
of
Cabinet
No.
of
Ministers not in Total size
of
Ministers the Cabinet Government
January
1973 I9
June
'973 '9
December
1973
20
January
1974
21
March
'974
21
July
'974
22
October
1974 23
28
27
27
26
27
28
29
97
95
96
99
I01
101
'09
additional Treasury Minister. In January
1974
the size of the Cabinet was
further increased by one with the appointment of an additional Secretaiy
of State in charge of a new Department
of
Energy. The change of Govern-
ment in March
1974
saw some alterations. The size
of
the Cabinet was not
affected but in place of the Secretary
of
State for Trade and Industry and
the Minister
of
State for Trade and Consumer Affairs, who had been
a
member of the Cabinet since November
1972,
three new Secretaries of
State, for Prices and Consumer Protection, for Jndustry and for Trade were
appointed. The Paymaster-General,
who
continued to be an additional
Treasury Minister, ceased to be a member of the Cabinet. In July
1974,
for
the first time, the Chief Whip became
a
full member
of
the Cabinet.
Following the October General Election, the Minister for Planning and
Local Government was added to the Cabinet in recognition of the import-
ance
of
the Government's plans to bring development land into public
ownership.
The responsibilities given to the non-departmental members of the
Cabinet varied. Throughout the period the Lord President of the Council
and the Lord Privy Seal were leaders
of
the House
of
Commons and House
of Lords respectively. Until March
1974
and after October
1974
the Lord
Privy Seal was also Minister in day-to-day charge of the Civil Service
Department. In the intervening period this task was performed by the
Lord President, but he relinquished
it
on being given responsibility for the
preparation
of
plans for devolution.
On
Britain's accession to the European
Economic Community
on
I
January
1973,
the Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster was given responsibility for co-ordinating the Government's
relations with the Community. In March
1974
the new Government
transferred this function to the Secretary
of
State for Foreign and Common-
wealth Affairs, the office
of
Chancellor of the Duchy being assumed by an
economic and financial adviser
to
the Prime Minister. The other change
affecting
a
member
of
the Cabinet was the enactment of legislation in
1974
formally removing any doubt
as
to the legal capacity of
a
Roman Catholic
to hold the office
of
Lord Chancellor.
Other Ministers
During
I
973
and
1974
there were a number
of
changes
in
other ministerial
offices, most
of
which reflected shifts in the Cabinet. Some points
of
interest
242
ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
IN
1973
AND
‘974:
A
SURVEY
can be noted. First, in this period there was never more than one Minister
in charge of
a
department who was not in the Cabinet. Until March 1974
this was the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. The Labour
Government, however, announced its intention to abolish this office and,
pending its formal abolition in April 1974, it was held by the Secretary of
State for Industry. In June 1974 the office of Minister of Overseas Develop-
ment, in charge of
a
separate department, was re-established after
a
gap
of
four years during which these responsibilities had been borne
by
a
Minister within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Secondly, as
a
result
of
the disintegration
of
the Department
of
Trade and Industry, the
number of new-style Ministers, described in the I970 White Paper (Cmnd.
4506)
as
being ‘of Cabinet rank not represented in the Cabinet’, fell from
seven to three. However, there was
a
corresponding increase in the number
of Ministers of State from fourteen to twenty-two. In the Department of
the Environment the titles of
two
of the Ministers were re-styled as Minister
of Transport and Minister for Planning and Local Government. Thirdly,
a number of Ministers of State and Junior Ministers were given special
titles. In the Department of the Environment the Ministers of State were
designated Minister
of
State (Urban Affairs) and Minister of State (Sport
and Recreation) in 1974. In the Department of Health and Social Security,
the three Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, appointed in March 1974, were
designated Health, Social Security and Disabled. These developments did
not affect the allocation
of
functions but underlined the importance
attached to certain activities. Finally,
a
number
of
new posts were
established. In July 1974 a Parliamentary Secretary was appointed to the
Law Officers’ Department in recognition of its increasing respcnsibilities
in connection with the European Economic Community and Northern
Ireland. In October 1974, arising out of the responsibilities
of
the Lord
President of the Council for devolution, the posts of Minister of State and
Parliamentary Secretary at the Privy Council Office were created.
Statutov
Limits
The three-tier structure of ministerial offices, introduced by the Ministerial
and Other Salaries Act 1972, imposes limits on the number of Ministers
that can be appointed at different levels.
As
a
result the Minister for
Trade and Consumer Affairs’ appointed to the Cabinet in November
1972, was unable to receive a Cabinet salary. In January 1974 the
statutorylimits for both Cabinet Ministers and non-Cabinet Ministers were
reached.
The
appojntments made by the new Prime Minister in March
1974 exceeded these limits by
one,
so
that the Chancellor
of
the Duchy
of
Lancaster had to serve without a salary. This situation was eased by the
Ministers of the Crown Act 1974 which increased thelimits of both Cabinet
and non-Cabinet Ministers and added the office of Chief Whip to the list
of
those eligible for Cabinet salaries. However, in October 1974 the
243
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