Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom

The Government of the United Kingdom is divided into departments. These, according to the government, are responsible for putting government policy into practice.[1] There are currently 24 ministerial departments, 20 non-ministerial departments, and 422 agencies and other public bodies, for a total of 465 departments.[2]

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Ministerial departments

Ministerial departments are generally the most high-profile government departments and differ from the other two types of government departments in that they include ministers. A list of all ministerial departments is shown below.

Ministerial department Minister responsible Civil servant responsible Ref.
Attorney General's Office The Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP
Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland		 Douglas Wilson OBE
Director-General		 [3][4]
Cabinet Office The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP
Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office		 Sir Alex Chisholm KCB
Permanent Secretary		 [5]
Department for Business and Trade The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP
Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade		 Gareth Davies CB
Permanent Secretary		 [6][7]
Department for Culture, Media and Sport The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport		 Susannah Storey
Permanent Secretary		 [8][9]
Department for Education The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP
Secretary of State for Education		 Susan Acland-Hood
Permanent Secretary		 [10][11]
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero		 Jeremy Pockington CB
Permanent Secretary
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs		 Tamara Finkelstein CB
Permanent Secretary		 [12][13]
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations		 Sarah Healey CB CVO
Permanent Secretary		 [14][15]
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology		 Sarah Munby
Permanent Secretary
Department for Transport The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP
Secretary of State for Transport		 Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB
Permanent Secretary		 [16][17]
Department for Work and Pensions The Rt Hon Mel Stride MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions		 Peter Schofield CB
Permanent Secretary		 [18][19]
Department of Health and Social Care The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care		 Sir Chris Wormald KCB
Permanent Secretary		 [20][21]
Export Credits Guarantee Department
(trading as UK Export Finance)		 The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP
Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade		 Tim Reid
Chief Executive		 [22][23]
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Rt Hon James Cleverly TD VR MP
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs		 Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE
Permanent Secretary		 [24][25]
HM Treasury The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord of the Treasury		 James Bowler CB
Permanent Secretary		 [26][27]
Home Office The Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department		 Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE
Permanent Secretary		 [28][29]
Ministry of Defence The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
Secretary of State for Defence		 David Williams CB
Permanent Secretary		 [30][31]
Ministry of Justice The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain[32][33]		 Antonia Romeo
Permanent Secretary & Clerk of the Crown in Chancery		 [34]
Northern Ireland Office The Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland		 Dominic Wilson
Acting Permanent Secretary & Director-General		 [35][36]
Office of the Advocate General for Scotland The Rt Hon The Lord Stewart of Dirleton KC [37][38][39]
Advocate General for Scotland		 Neil Taylor
Director & Solicitor to the Advocate General[40]		 [41]
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons[n 1] The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP[42][43]
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council		 N/A [44]
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords[n 1] The Rt Hon The Lord True CBE[42][45]
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal		 N/A [46]
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland The Rt Hon Alister Jack DL MP[37][47]
Secretary of State for Scotland		 Lyn McDonald
Temporary Director		 [48]
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales The Rt Hon David TC Davies
Secretary of State for Wales		 Glynne Jones CBE
Director[49]		 [50]

Non-ministerial departments

Non-ministerial departments are headed by civil servants and usually have a regulatory or inspection function.[51] A list of all non-ministerial departments is shown below.

Non-ministerial department Ref.
Charity Commission for England and Wales
[2]
Competition and Markets Authority
[2]
Crown Prosecution Service
[2]
Food Standards Agency
[2]
Forestry Commission
[2]
Government Actuary's Department
[2]
Government Legal Department
[2]
HM Land Registry
[2]
HM Revenue & Customs
[2]
National Savings and Investments
[2]
The National Archives
[2]
National Crime Agency
[2]
Office of Rail and Road
[2]
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets
[2]
Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation
[2]
Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
[2]
Serious Fraud Office
[2]
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
[2]
UK Statistics Authority
[2]
Water Services Regulation Authority
[2]

Agencies and other public bodies

Government departments in this third and final category can generally be split into five types:[51]

  • Executive agencies, which usually provide government services rather than decide policy
  • Executive non-departmental public bodies, which do work for the government in specific areas
  • Advisory non-departmental public bodies, which provide independent and expert advice to ministers
  • Tribunal non-departmental public bodies, which are part of the justice system and have jurisdiction over a specific area of the law
  • Independent monitoring boards, which are responsible for the running of prisons and the treatment of prisoners

See also

Notes
  1. Part of the Cabinet Office.

References
  1. "How government works". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. "Departments, agencies and public bodies". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. "Attorney General". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. "Attorney General's Office". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. "The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP". GOV.UK.
  6. "Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. "Sarah Munby". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. "Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - GOV.UK". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. "Sarah Healey". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  10. "Secretary of State for Education". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. "Susan Acland-Hood". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. "Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. "Tamara Finkelstein". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  14. "Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  15. "Jeremy Pocklington". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  16. "Secretary of State for Transport". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  17. "Bernadette Kelly CB". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  18. "Secretary of State for Work and Pensions". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  19. "Peter Schofield". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  20. "Secretary of State for Health and Social Care". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  21. "Sir Chris Wormald KCB". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  22. "Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  23. "UK Export Finance". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  24. "Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  25. "Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  26. "Chancellor of the Exchequer". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  27. "Tom Scholar". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  28. "Secretary of State for the Home Department". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  29. "Matthew Rycroft CBE". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  30. "Secretary of State for Defence". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  31. "David Williams". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  32. "Responsibilities: Oversight of all portfolios and Ministry of Justice strategy"
  33. "The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP". GOV.UK.
  34. "Antonia Romeo". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  35. "Secretary of State for Northern Ireland". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  36. "Madeleine Alessandri CMG". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  37. "The Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland report to the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Advocate General for Scotland respectively."
  38. "HM Advocate General for Scotland - GOV.UK". gov.uk.
  39. "Lord Stewart of Dirleton QC". GOV.UK.
  40. "The Director of OAG is responsible for overseeing all legal services provided by OAG to the UK government, and for overseeing delivery of OAG’s objectives as set out in its Business Plan."
  41. "Office of the Advocate General for Scotland". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  42. "List of Ministerial Responsibilities Including Executive Agencies and Non-Ministerial Departments" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. July 2023.
  43. "About us".
  44. "Office of the Leader of the House of Commons". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  45. "About us".
  46. "Office of the Leader of the House of Lords". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  47. "Secretary of State for Scotland - GOV.UK". gov.uk.
  48. "Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  49. "Glynne Jones CBE". GOV.UK.
  50. "Office of the Secretary of State for Wales". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 22 January 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  51. "How government works". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
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