Denmark Blog :: Business & Economy » Government & Politics http://www.bestdenmark.com/blog Mon, 31 May 2010 04:16:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Government Departments http://www.bestdenmark.com/blog/government-departments/ http://www.bestdenmark.com/blog/government-departments/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2007 03:39:02 +0000 Henry http://www.bestdenmark.com/blog/?p=7 The Danish executive consists of a number of government departments known as Ministries. These departments are led by a cabinet member and known as Minister for the relevant department or portfolio. In theory all Ministers are equal and may not command or be commanded by a fellow minister. Constitutional practice does however dictate, that the Prime Minister is primus inter pares, first among equals. Unlike many other countries, Denmark has no tradition of employing junior Ministers.

A Ministry is the secretariat to the Minister. Its functions comprises overall planning, development and strategic guidance on the entire area of responsibility of the Minister. The Ministers’ decisions are carried out by the permanent and politically neutral civil service within the Ministry. Unlike some democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. The head of the ministry civil servants is the Permanent Secretary. The majority of civil servants in fact work in executive agencies which are separate operational organizations reporting to the Minister.

Also the Minister has his own private secretariat as well as communications personnel. Unlike normal civil servants, the communication staff is partisan and do not remain in their posts upon changes of Government.

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