Her Majesty's Government of the
United Kingdom contains a number of
Ministers and
Secretaries of State. These members of the
Cabinet are supported by civil servants in Ministerial Departments.
Types of Government Department
★ Ministerial Departments are led politically by a
Government Minister, and cover matters that require direct political oversight. For most Departments, the Government Minister in question is known as a
Secretary of State and is a member of the
Cabinet. He or she is generally supported by a team of junior Ministers. The administrative management of the Department is led by a senior
civil servant known as a
Permanent Secretary.
★
★ Subordinate to these Ministerial Departments are
executive agencies. An Executive Agency has a degree of to perform an operational function (cf.
QUANGOs). They report to one or more specific Government Departments, which will set the funding and strategic policy for the Agency.
★
Non-ministerial departments generally cover matters for which direct political oversight is judged unnecessary or inappropriate. They are headed by
senior civil servants. Some fulfil a regulatory or inspection function, and their status is therefore intended to protect them from political interference. Some are headed by
Permanent Secretaries or
Second Permanent Secretaries.
List of Departments of the United Kingdom Government
Ministerial Departments
★ The
Attorney General for England and Wales
★
Cabinet Office (CO)
★
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
★
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
★
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
★
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
★
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
★
Department of Health (DH)
★
Department for International Development (DFID)
★
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR)
★
Department for Transport (DfT)
★
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
★
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
★
Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)
★
Home Office (HO)
★
Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers (LSLO)
★
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
★
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
★
★
Scotland Office (SO)
★
★
Wales Office (WO)
★
Northern Ireland Office (NIO)
★ Office of the
Advocate General for Scotland
★
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
Non-Ministerial Departments
★
Assets Recovery Agency
★ The
British Council
★
Charity Commission for England and Wales
★
Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRND)
★
Crown Estate
★
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
★
Export Credits Guarantee Department ECGD
★
Food Standards Agency
★
Forestry Commission
★
Government Actuary's Department (GAD)
★
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
★
Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED)
★
Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
★
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets/
Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (OFGEM)
★
Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)
★
Postcomm (Postal Services Commission)
★
Public Works Loan Board (PWLB)
★
Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
★
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)
[1]
★
Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat)
★
Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO)
List of Executive Agencies reporting to each Department of the United Kingdom Government
Attorney General’s Office
★
Treasury Solicitor's Department
Cabinet Office
★
Central Office of Information
Communities and Local Government (Department for)
★
The Fire Service College
★
Ordnance Survey
★
Planning Inspectorate
★
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
Culture, Media and Sport (Department for)
★
Royal Parks Agency
Defence (Ministry of)
★
Army Base Repair Organisation
★
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
★
British Forces Post Office
★
Defence Analytical Services Agency
★
Defence Aviation Repair Agency
★
Defence Bills Agency
★
Defence Communication Services Agency
★
Defence Estates
★
Defence Medical, Education and Training Agency
★
Defence Procurement Agency
★
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
★
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
★
Defence Transport and Movements Agency
★
Defence Vetting Agency
★
Disposal Services Agency
★
Duke of York's Royal Military School
★
Met Office
★
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
★
People, Pay and Pensions Agency
★
Royal Navy Supply and Transport Service
★
Service Children's Education
★
UK Hydrographic Office
★
Veterans Agency
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Department for)
★
Central Science Laboratory
★
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
★
Government Decontamination Service
★
Marine and Fisheries Agency
★
Pesticides Safety Directorate
★
Rural Payments Agency
★
State Veterinary Service
★
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
★
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Food Standards Agency
★
Meat Hygiene Service
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
★
FCO Services
★
Wilton Park Conference Centre
Forestry Commission
★
Forest Enterprise (England)
★
Forest Enterprise (Scotland)
★
Forest Research
Health (Department of)
★
Medicines and Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency
★
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency
Home Department (Home Office)
★
Criminal Records Bureau
★
Forensic Science Service
★
Identity and Passport Service
★
Border and Immigration Agency
Justice (Ministry of)
★
HM Courts Service
★
HM Land Registry
★
HM Prison Service
★
National Archives
★
Public Guardianship Office
★
Tribunals Service
Northern Ireland Office
★
Compensation Agency
★
Forensic Science Agency Northern Ireland
★
Northern Ireland Prison Service
★
Youth Justice Agency
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Department of)
★
Companies House
★
Insolvency Service
★
National Weights and Measures Laboratory
★
UK Intellectual Property Office
★
Small Business Service
Transport (Department for)
★
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
★
Driving Standards Agency
★
Government Car and Despatch Agency
★
Highways Agency
★
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
★
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
★
Vehicle Certification Agency
Treasury (HM)
★
National Savings and Investments
★
Office for National Statistics
★
OGCBuying.Solutions
★
Royal Mint
★
UK Debt Management Office
★
Valuation Office Agency
Work and Pensions (Department for)
★
Child Support Agency
★
Disability and Carers Service
★
JobCentre Plus
★
The Pension Service
★
Rent Service
See also
★
The Health and Safety Commission/Executive (HSC/HSE)
★
The Stationery Office
★
Privy Council Office (PCO)
★
Better Regulation Commission [2]
★
Prime Minister's Office (No. 10)
★
Her Majesty's Government (formal)
★
British Civil Service
★
Executive agency
★
Public bodies and task forces of the UK government
★
QuANGO
★
Politics of the United Kingdom
★
UK topics
★
Government operations
External links
★
Directgov - widest range of government information and services online
★
Business Link - main Government-to-business website, explains regulatory policies of more than 80 departments and agencies
★
A list of all government bodies (including Gov. Departments) granted Crown Copyright
★