Secretary of State (United Kingdom)

His Majesty's principal secretaries of state, better known as secretaries of state, are senior ministers of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom.[1] Secretaries of state head most major government departments[2] and make up the majority of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.[3] There are currently 16 secretaries of state.[3] They are all also currently members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons, although it is possible for them to be members of the House of Lords.[3]

Legal position

Under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, a maximum of 21 secretaries of state can receive a salary.[4]

Legislation generally refers simply to "the secretary of state" without further elaboration. By virtue of the Interpretation Act 1978, this phrase means "one of His Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State".[5] Despite there only being one secretary of state in law, in practice, each secretary of state will perforce stay within their own portfolio.[2]

Secretaries of state, like other government ministers, are appointed through the royal prerogative.[6]

History

Kingdom of England

The origin of the office lays in the office of the king's private secretary.[2] However, by the Tudor period, the office's purview had become more onerous.[2]

In 1539 or 1540, Henry VIII appointed two people to the office.[2][7]^: p.29 After the Stuart Restoration, the practice of appointing two secretaries of state resumed.[8] A formal division, in the form of the offices of the secretary of state for the Northern Department and the secretary of state for the Southern Department, was made in 1689,[2] though the office was first divided into the Northern and Southern Department purviews in 1660.[7]^: p.30

After the Union

In 1782, the responsibilities of these offices were changed, so that one would be responsible for foreign affairs and one for domestic affairs, thus establishing the embryonic offices of foreign secretary and home secretary.[2][8] Over time, the number of secretaries of states grew, so that there were five in 1900 and 14 by 1996.[2] There are currently 16 secretaries of state.[3]

Secretaries of state currently in use

Secretaries of state currently in use
Office	Created	Created from	Dissolved	Dissolved into	Ref(s)
Secretary of State for the Home Department	1782 (orally; embryonically)	Secretary of State for the Northern Department Secretary of State for the Southern Department			[2]
Secretary of State for Scotland	1709		1746		[2]
Secretary of State for Scotland	1926 or 1928				[2][7]^: p.118
Secretary of State for Wales	1964	Minister of Welsh Affairs (Home Office)			[9]
Secretary of State for Defence	1964	Minister of Defence Secretary of State for War Secretary of State for Air First Lord of the Admiralty			[10]
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	1972	Governor of Northern Ireland Governor in Council Government of Northern Ireland Minister of the Government of Northern Ireland Head of a department of the Government of Northern Ireland Departments of the Government of Northern Ireland			[11]
Secretary of State for Transport	1976	Secretary of State for the Environment	1979		[12][7]^: p.98
	1981		1997	Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions	[7]^: p.98
	2002	Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions			[13]
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	2001	Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions			[14]
Secretary of State for Education	1992	Secretary of State for Education and Science	1995	Secretary of State for Education and Employment
	1995	Secretary of State for Education and Employment	2001	Secretary of State for Education and Skills
	2001	Secretary of State for Education and Skills	2007	Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
	2010	Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families			[15]
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	2002	Secretary of State for Social Security			[16]
First Secretary of State	1962 (invented)				[17]
First Secretary of State	2002 (incorporated as corporation sole)	Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions			[13]
Secretary of State for Justice	2007	Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs			[18]
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	2016	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change			[19]
Secretary of State for International Trade	2016	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills			[19]
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	2017	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport			[20]
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	2018	Secretary of State for Health			[21]
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	2020	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for International Development			[22]
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	2021	Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government			[23]

Secretaries of state no longer in use

Secretaries of state no longer in use
Office	Created	Created from	Dissolved	Dissolved into	Ref(s)
Secretary of State for the Northern Department	1689	Secretary of State	1782	Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for the Home Department	[2]
Secretary of State for the Southern Department	1689	Secretary of State	1782		[2]
Secretary of State for the Colonies	1768		1782	Secretary of State for the Home Department	[2][7]^: p.41
Secretary of State for the Colonies	1854	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	1966	Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs	[2]
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	1782	Secretary of State for the Northern Department Secretary of State for the Southern Department	1968	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	[2]
Secretary of State for War	1794		1801	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	[2]
Secretary of State for War	1854	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	1964	Secretary of State for Defence	[2]
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	1801	Secretary of State for the Home Department Secretary of State for War	1854	Secretary of State for the Colonies Secretary of State for War	[2]
Secretary of State for India	1858	President of the Board of Control	1937	Secretary of State for India and Burma	[7]^: p.46
Secretary of State for Air	1919		1964	Secretary of State for Defence	[10][7]^: p.61
Secretary of State for the Dominions	1925				[7]^: p.43-44
Secretary of State for India and Burma	1937	Secretary of State for India	1947	Secretary of State for Burma	[7]^: p.46
Secretary of State for Burma	1947	Secretary of State for India and Burma	1948		[7]^: p.46
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	1947		1966	Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs	[7]^: p.44
Secretary of State for the Co-Ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power	1951		1953		[7]^: p.102
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs	1966	Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	1968	Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	[7]^: p.44
Secretary of State for Economic Affairs	1964		1969		[7]^: p.12
Secretary of State for Education and Science	1964		1992	Secretary of State for Education	[7]^: p.80
Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity	1968		1970	Secretary of State for Employment	[7]^: p.90
Secretary of State for Social Services	1968	Minister of Health Minister of Social Security	1988	Secretary of State for Health Secretary of State for Social Security	[7]^: p.84
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	1968	Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	2020		[22][7]^: p.37
Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning	1969		1970		[7]^: p.95
Secretary of State for Employment	1970		1995	Secretary of State for Education and Employment	[7]^: p.90
Secretary of State for the Environment	1970		1997	Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions	[7]^: p.92
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	1970		1974	Secretary of State for Trade Secretary of State for Industry	[7]^: p.71 [7]^: p.73
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	1983	Secretary of State for Trade Secretary of State for Industry	2007	Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection	1974		1979	Secretary of State for Trade	[7]^: p.72
Secretary of State for Social Security	1988		2001	Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Secretary of State for International Development	1997		2020	Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs	2003	Secretary of State for the Home Department Lord Chancellor's Department	2007	Secretary of State for Justice
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform	2007	Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	2009	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union	2016		2020		[19][24]
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government	2018	Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government	2021	Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities	[21]

Health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions

The secretaries of state that have been used for the matters of health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions are shown in the graphic below. It shows how portfolios of responsibilities have been broadly passed down from one secretary of state position to the position(s) directly below it. However, it is impossible for such a graphic to be completely accurate; it cannot show smaller changes, or gains or losses of responsibilities within a position due to changes of responsibilities for the UK Government (for example, due to devolution or Brexit). It is not to scale. In the gaps, and before the first of these secretaries of state, relevant responsibilities were taken on by ministers not titled 'Secretary of State'.

1963						Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development (1963–64)
1964				Secretary of State for Education and Science (1964–92)
1968	Secretary of State for Health and Social Services (1968–88)		Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1968–70)
1969											Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning (1969–70)
1970			Secretary of State for Employment (1970–95)			Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1970–74)
1974						Secretary of State for Industry (1974–83)	Secretary of State for Trade (1974–83)	Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1974–79)	Secretary of State for Energy (1974–92)
1976										Secretary of State for the Environment (1970–97)		Secretary of State for Transport (1976–9)
1979
1981												Secretary of State for Transport (1981–97)
1983
1988	Secretary of State for Health (1988–2018)	Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001)
1992				Secretary of State for Education (1992–95)		Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1983–2007)
1995			Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001)
1997										Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)

2001		Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2001–present)		Secretary of State for Education and Skills (2001–07)						Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2001–present)	Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–02)

2002												Secretary of State for Transport (2002–present)
2006											Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2006–18)
2007				Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007–10)	Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007–09)	Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (2007–09)

2008									Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2008–16)
2009					Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2009–16)
2010
2016				Secretary of State for Education (2010–present)		Secretary of State for International Trade (2016–present)	Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (2016–present)
2018	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2018–present)										Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018–present)

Key:

	Secretary of state primarily relating to health
	Secretary of state primarily relating to work and benefits
	Secretary of state primarily relating to education
	Secretary of state primarily relating to business
	Secretary of state primarily relating to energy
	Secretary of state primarily relating to the regions
	Secretary of state primarily relating to transport
	Secretary of state covering more than one of these areas
	Secretary of state currently in use

Culture

The Secretaries of state that have been used for culture, heritage and sport are as follows:

Secretary of State for National Heritage (1992–97)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997–2010)
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (2010–12)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2012–17)
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2017–present)

References

"Government ministers". Institute for Government. Retrieved 1 February 2021. What are the different types of minister? The most senior government ministers, except the prime minister, are secretaries of state.
Brazier, Rodney (1997). Ministers of the Crown. Oxford: Clarendon. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.
"Ministers". gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
"Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, Schedule 1, Part V, Paragraph 2". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021. In the case of the following offices a salary may be paid to more than one holder of the office at the same time, subject to the limitations expressed below, that is to say— (a) Secretary of State, so long as not more than 21 salaries are paid at the same time in accordance with Part I above;
"Draft Cabinet Manual" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 14 December 2010. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
Ministry of Justice (October 2009). "The Governance of Britain: Review of the Executive Royal Prerogative Powers: Final Report" (PDF). p. 33. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
Pickrill, DA (1981). Ministers of the Crown. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-0916-X.
Sainty, J. C. (1973). "Introduction". Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 2 - Officials of the Secretaries of State 1660-1782. British History Online. University of London. pp. 1–21. At the Restoration [in 1660] the practice of appointing two Secretaries of State, which was well established before the Civil War, was resumed. Apart from the modifications which were made necessary by the occasional existence of a third secretaryship, the organisation of the secretariat underwent no fundamental change from that time until the reforms of 1782 which resulted in the emergence of the Home and Foreign departments. ... English domestic affairs remained the responsibility of both Secretaries throughout the period. In the field of foreign affairs there was a division into a Northern and a Southern Department, each of which was the responsibility of one Secretary. The distinction between the two departments emerged only gradually. It was not until after 1689 that their names passed into general currency. Nevertheless the division of foreign business itself can, in its broad outlines, be detected in the early years of the reign of Charles II.
Torrance, David (19 June 2019). "Introduction to devolution in the UK". House of Commons Library. p. 12. Retrieved 8 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964.
Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.
The Secretary of State for Transport Order 1976.
The Transfer of Functions (Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Order 2002.
The Secretaries of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Order 2001.
The Secretary of State for Education Order 2010.
The Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Work and Pensions Order 2002.
Brazier, Rodney (2020). Choosing a Prime Minister : The Transfer of Power in Britain. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-19-260307-4. OCLC 1182632161.
The Secretary of State for Justice Order 2007.
The Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for International Trade and for Exiting the European Union and the Transfer of Functions (Education and Skills) Order 2016.
The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) Order 2017.
The Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care and for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Transfer of Functions (Commonhold Land) Order 2018.
The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) Order 2020.
The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) Order 2021.
Duffy, Nick (1 February 2020). "Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay exits cabinet as Boris Johnson shutters department". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Government ministers". Institute for Government. Retrieved 1 February 2021. What are the different types of minister? The most senior government ministers, except the prime minister, are secretaries of state.

[:5-2] Brazier, Rodney (1997). Ministers of the Crown. Oxford: Clarendon. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.

[:0-3] "Ministers". gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[4] "Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, Schedule 1, Part V, Paragraph 2". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021. In the case of the following offices a salary may be paid to more than one holder of the office at the same time, subject to the limitations expressed below, that is to say— (a) Secretary of State, so long as not more than 21 salaries are paid at the same time in accordance with Part I above;

[cabinetmanual-5] "Draft Cabinet Manual" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 14 December 2010. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2011.

[6] Ministry of Justice (October 2009). "The Governance of Britain: Review of the Executive Royal Prerogative Powers: Final Report" (PDF). p. 33. Retrieved 9 September 2020.

[Pickrill-7] Pickrill, DA (1981). Ministers of the Crown. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-0916-X.

[:4-8] Sainty, J. C. (1973). "Introduction". Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 2 - Officials of the Secretaries of State 1660-1782. British History Online. University of London. pp. 1–21. At the Restoration [in 1660] the practice of appointing two Secretaries of State, which was well established before the Civil War, was resumed. Apart from the modifications which were made necessary by the occasional existence of a third secretaryship, the organisation of the secretariat underwent no fundamental change from that time until the reforms of 1782 which resulted in the emergence of the Home and Foreign departments. ... English domestic affairs remained the responsibility of both Secretaries throughout the period. In the field of foreign affairs there was a division into a Northern and a Southern Department, each of which was the responsibility of one Secretary. The distinction between the two departments emerged only gradually. It was not until after 1689 that their names passed into general currency. Nevertheless the division of foreign business itself can, in its broad outlines, be detected in the early years of the reign of Charles II.

[9] Torrance, David (19 June 2019). "Introduction to devolution in the UK". House of Commons Library. p. 12. Retrieved 8 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[:6-10] Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964.

[11] Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.

[12] The Secretary of State for Transport Order 1976.

[:1-13] The Transfer of Functions (Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Order 2002.

[14] The Secretaries of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Order 2001.

[15] The Secretary of State for Education Order 2010.

[16] The Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Work and Pensions Order 2002.

[17] Brazier, Rodney (2020). Choosing a Prime Minister : The Transfer of Power in Britain. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-19-260307-4. OCLC 1182632161.

[18] The Secretary of State for Justice Order 2007.

[:2-19] The Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for International Trade and for Exiting the European Union and the Transfer of Functions (Education and Skills) Order 2016.

[20] The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) Order 2017.

[:3-21] The Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care and for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Transfer of Functions (Commonhold Land) Order 2018.

[:7-22] The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) Order 2020.

[:8-23] The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) Order 2021.

[24] Duffy, Nick (1 February 2020). "Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay exits cabinet as Boris Johnson shutters department". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)