Parliamentarians who are given a portfolio of government departments to manage in the Executive by the Prime Minister are known as what?

• A. Ministers
• B. Backbenchers
• C. Clerks
• D. Members of Opposition

Answer: (A)

In a parliamentary system, the people who run government departments are called ministers. They are Parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister to manage a portfolio, like Education or Defence, and they oversee policy and the public service inside that department. Ministers are part of the Executive and answer to Parliament for how their department is performing. This is different from backbenchers, who are MPs without a portfolio; clerks, who are public servants working within government departments; and Members of Opposition, who belong to parties not in government and scrutinise the government's actions.