Important Government Departments

1.Read the words using a dictionary: various, a committee, foreign, Commonwealth, exchequer, to execute, finance, an issue.

Vocabulary

The Cabinet Office
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Заместитель госсекретаря по иностранным делам
to hold a position	занимать пост
UK Border Agency	служба пограничного контроля Великобритании
counter-terrorism	борьба с терроризмом
the headquarters [hedˈ kwɔ ː tə z]	руководство

Read and translate the text.

The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objectives via other departments. It currently has just over 2, 000 staff, most of whom work in Whitehall. Staff working in the Prime Minister’s Office are part of the Cabinet Office.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), commonly called the Foreign Office is a department of the United Kingdom government. It is responsible for protecting and promoting UK interests abroad. It was created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

The head of the FCO is the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs or “Foreign Secretary” (currently William Hague). This position is one of the four most prestigious appointments in the Cabinet, together with those of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary. Together with the Prime Minister, these are the Great Offices of State.

The FCO is managed from day-to-day by a civil servant, the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who also acts as the Head of the Diplomatic Service. This position has been held by Simon Fraser since late August 2010.

Her Majesty’s Treasury (HM Treasury), or informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government’s public finance policy and economic policy. The Treasury maintains the Combined Online Information System (COINS) containing a detailed analysis of departmental spending.

The Home Office is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for immigration, security, and law and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism, and ID cards.

It is also known, especially in official papers, as the Home Department

 

 

Lunar House in Croydon, which holds the headquarters of the Home Office UK Border Agency

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the British government department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the Her Majesty’s Government, and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.

The MOD states that its principal objectives are to defend the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its interests and to strengthen international peace and stability. The MOD also manages day-to-day running of the armed forces.

 

 

The flag of the United Kingdom

Ministry of Defence

2.Give the English equivalents to the Russian words and phrases:

представлять интересы, престижные назначения, разрабатывать финансовую политику, укреплять мир и стабильность.

3.Match the Department with its functions:

1) The Cabinet Office

2) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

3)Her Majesty’s Treasury (HM Treasury)

4)The Home Office

5)The Ministry of Defence (MOD)

 

a) is responsible for implementing the defence policy, defends the UK interests, also manages day-to-day running of the armed forces;

b) is responsible for developing and executing the British government’s public finance policy and economic policy;

c) responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom;

d) is responsible for protecting and promoting UK interests abroad;

e) is responsible for immigration, security, and law.

 

4.Who are these people?: Foreign Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Secretary of Defence.

What abbreviations are used for some Departments in Great Britain? What are the abbreviations for the same Ministries in Russia?

Unit IV

ELECTIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN

1.Read and translate the text:

When speaking about General Election, election to the House of Commons is meant. The party that has won the General Election makes up the majority in the House of Commons and forms the Government. The leader of the majority party becomes the Prime Minister and the leader of British Government. The party with the next largest number of members in the House forms the official Opposition, and the leader of the Opposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons.

The British Government is elected for up to five years. The Prime Minister chooses the date of the next General Election.

About a month before the election the Prime Minister meets a small group of close advisers to discuss the date which would best suit the party.

The date is announced to the party. The prime Minister formally asks the Sovereign to dissolve Parliament. Once Parliament is dissolved, all MPs are unemployed, but government officers continue to function.

Then party manifestoes are published and campaigning begins throughout the country. It is covered by press, radio and television.

Voting takes place on Polling Day usually on Thursday. The results from each constituency are announced as soon as the votes are counted, usually the same night. The national result is known by the next morning at the latest.

As soon as it is clear that one party has a majority of seats in the House of Commons, its leader is formally invited by the Sovereign to form a government.

2.Give Russian equivalents to English words and phrases: всеобщие выборы, распустить парламент, программа партии, предвыборная кампания, голосование, день голосования, подсчитать голоса, сформировать правительство.

3.Put the events preceding General Election into logic order:

a)The date of election is announced to the party.

b) The Prime Minister chooses the date of the next General Election.

c) All MPs are unemployed.

d)Party manifestoes are published.

e)The Prime Minister meets a small group of close advisers to discuss the date which would best suit the party.

f)The Sovereign dissolves Parliament.

g)Campaigning begins.

4.Give definitions to:

- General Election;

- majority party;

- Prime Minister;

- official Opposition;

- party manifestoes;

- election campaigning;

- Polling Day.

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