Changes in the Machinery of Government since 1945
| Author | L. Petch |
| Date | 01 December 1951 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1951.tb01432.x |
| Published date | 01 December 1951 |
Changes in
the
Machinery
of
Government since
1945
By
L.
PETCH
This article was prepared
in
the Organisation and Methoh Division,
H.M.
Treasury.
It
was
sent
to
the printer before the General Election, and therejore
takes
no
accoitnt
of
changes made by the new Governmenr.
0
the layman, the machinery
of
T
government is not something
which is capable
of
rapid growth and
development. He is fully aware that
the organisation through which the
Government discharges its many
tasks has evolved slowly from rudi-
mentary beginnings. But, in this
instance at least, he accepts instinc-
tively
"
the inevitability of gradual-
ness
"
;
and he would not expect to
see an appreciable change in the
pattern
of
the organisation within
(say) a period
of
four
or
five years.
But the experience of the last few
years has shown that sometimes
extensive adjustments can be made
quite quickly.
.
The period since
1945
has, in fact, seen the machinery
of
government in process of what one
might almost describe, without
exaggeration, as
"
intensive develop-
ment." There are perhaps four main
reasons for this
:-
(i)
The war-time organisation
had
to
be adapted to peace-time
conditions.
(ii)
The post-war tasks of the
Government were considerably
more numerous and difficult than
in
1939;
virtually new functions
(notably economic planning) had
to be undertaken, and the scope
of
others (such as the administra-
tion
of
social security schemes)
was greatly extended.
(iii)
Political developments over-
seas (notably within the Common-
wealth) had their inevitable effect
on the organisation for handling
relations with overseas countries.
(iv) There was a growing ten-
dency to examine the machinery
of
government critically, and to
make structural changes in the
interests
of
greater efficiency.
The purpose of this essay is to
survey the main changes in the
machinery of central government
since
1945.
We shall interpret the
phrase
"
machinery
of
central govern-
ment
"
rather narrowly as the
organisation comprising Ministers
of
the Crown and the Government
Departments for which they are
responsible. This excludes on the
one hand developments affecting the
two Houses of Parliament and the
Courts of Law, and on the other
those concerned with the many
public boards and commissions which
have been created for the direction
of
nationalised industry and other
purposes. Even
so,
we shall find
that there is a good deal
of
ground
to cover.
It
will be convenient, in describing
the various changes, to take in turn
each of the four main causes of
change which are discussed above.
The picture thus presented will be
clearer than could be obtained by
giving details
of
the various changes
in strictly chronological order.
Adaptation of
the
War-Time
Organisation
At the end
of
the war there was
naturally a good deal of tidying up
to be done. Several Ministers and
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