United Kingdom Government Department

Article Index for
United

Website Links For
Departments

Information About

United Kingdom Government Department

The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministries, known in the United Kingdom as Government 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 is a Non-departmental Public Body that has a degree of Autonomy to perform an operational function (cf. QUANGO s). They report to one or more specific Government Departments, which will set the funding and strategic policy for the Agency.

Non-ministerial Department s 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

For some Departments, this list includes some Executive Agencies which report to it.

Ministerial Departments

Cabinet Office (CO) {Link without Title}

--- Office Of Public Sector Information (OPSI, formerly HMSO) {Link without Title}

Department For Constitutional Affairs (DCA) {Link without Title}

Department For Culture, Media And Sport (DCMS) {Link without Title}

Ministry Of Defence (MoD) {Link without Title}

Department For Education And Skills (DfES) {Link without Title}

Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) {Link without Title}

Foreign And Commonwealth Office (FCO) {Link without Title}

Department Of Health (DH) {Link without Title}

Home Office (HO) {Link without Title}

Department For International Development (DFID) {Link without Title}

Law Officers' Department (LSLO) {Link without Title}

Northern Ireland Office (NIO) {Link without Title}

Office Of The Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) {Link without Title}

Office Of The Leader Of The House Of Commons {Link without Title}

Department Of Trade And Industry (DTI) {Link without Title}

Scotland Office (SO) {Link without Title}

Department For Transport (DfT) {Link without Title}

Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) {Link without Title}

Wales Office (WO) {Link without Title}

Department For Work And Pensions (DWP) {Link without Title}

Non-Ministerial Departments

The British Council {Link without Title}

British Trade International {Link without Title}

Charity Commission {Link without Title}

Commissioners For The Reduction Of The National Debt (CRND) {Link without Title}

Crown Estate {Link without Title}

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) {Link without Title}

Electoral Commission {Link without Title}

Export Credits Guarantee Department ECGD {Link without Title}

Food Standards Agency {Link without Title}

Forestry Commission {Link without Title}

HM Revenue And Customs (HMRC) {Link without Title}

HM Land Registry {Link without Title}

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority {Link without Title}

Office For Standards In Education (OFSTED) {Link without Title}

Office For The Regulation Of Electricity And Gas (NI) (OFREG) {Link without Title}

Office Of Communications (Ofcom) {Link without Title}

Office Of The E-Envoy (OeE) {Link without Title}

Office Of Fair Trading (OFT) {Link without Title}

Office Of Gas And Electricity Markets / Gas And Electricity Markets Authority (OFGEM) {Link without Title}

Office Of Government Commerce (OGC) {Link without Title}

Office Of The Information Commissioner (OIC) {Link without Title}

Office For National Statistics (ONS) {Link without Title}

Office Of Science And Technology (OST) {Link without Title}

Office Of The International Rail Regulator (OIRR) {Link without Title}

Office Of The Rail Regulator (ORR) {Link without Title}

Office Of Water Services (OFWAT) {Link without Title}

Postal Services Commission (PSC) {Link without Title}

Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) {Link without Title}

Royal Household

Serious Fraud Office (SFO) {Link without Title}

Small Business Service (SBS) {Link without Title}

UK Trade And Investment {Link without Title}

Unsorted

The Stationery Office {Link without Title}

Privy Council Office (PCO) {Link without Title}

SEE ALSO

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

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