Secretary of State (United Kingdom)

Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, better known as the Secretaries of State, are the most senior government ministers of the United Kingdom, other than the prime minister.[1]

Secretaries of State head most major government departments[2] and make up the majority of the Cabinet.[3]

There are currently 16 different Secretaries of State.[3] They are all also currently MPs.[3]

Legal position

Under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, only 21 Secretaries of State can receive a salary.[4]

Legislation also generally only refers to "the Secretary of State" without specifying which one, but, by virtue of the Interpretation Act 1978, this phrase means "one of Her 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.[7] However, by the Tudor period, the office's purview had become more onerous.[7]

In 1540, Henry VIII appointed two people to the office[7] and a formal division, in the form of the offices of Secretary of State for the Northern Department and the Secretary of State for the Southern Department, was made in 1689.[7]

After the Union

In 1782, the arrangement of these offices orally 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]

Over time, the number of Secretaries of States grew, so that there were five in 1900 and 14 by 1996.[2] There are currently (as of 2020) 16 different Secretaries of State.[3]

Secretary of Stateships currently in use

Secretary of Stateships currently in use
Office	Created	Created from	Dissolved	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		[7]
Secretary of State for Scotland	1709		1746	[7]
Secretary of State for Scotland	1928			[7]
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Defence	1964	Minister of Defence Secretary of State for War Secretary of State for Air First Lord of the Admiralty		[8]
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		[9]
Secretary of State for Transport	1976	Secretary of State for the Environment		[10]
Secretary of State for Transport	2002	Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions		[11]
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	2001	Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions		[12]
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	2002	Secretary of State for Social Security		[13]
First Secretary of State	1962 (invented)			[14]
First Secretary of State	2002 (incorporated as corporation sole)	Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions		[11]
Secretary of State for Justice	2007	Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs		[15]
Secretary of State for Education	2010	Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families		[16]
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		[17]
Secretary of State for International Trade	2016	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills		[17]
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	2017	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport		[18]
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	2018	Secretary of State for Health		[19]
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government	2018	Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government		[19]
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	2020	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for International Development		[20]

Secretary of Stateships no longer in use

Secretary of Stateships 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 (orally; embryonically)	Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for the Home Department	[7]
Secretary of State for the Southern Department	1689	Secretary of State	1782 (orally; embryonically)		[7]
Secretary of State for the Colonies	1768		After the American Revolutionary War	Secretary of State for the Home Department	[7]
Secretary of State for the Colonies	1854	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies			[2]
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	1782 (orally; embryonically)	Secretary of State for the Northern Department Secretary of State for the Southern Department			[7]
Secretary of State for War	1794		1801	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	[7][2]
Secretary of State for War	1854	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies			[2]
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	1801	Secretary of State for the Home Department Secretary of State for War	1854		[7][2]
Secretary of State for India	1858				[2]

Secretary of State for Air (1918–1964; merged into Defence)
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs (1925–1947; merged into Commonwealth Relations)
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (1947–1966; merged into Commonwealth Affairs)
Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development (1963–1964; merged into Trade and Industry)
Secretary of State for Education and Science (1964–1992; renamed Education)
Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1964–1969)
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs (1966–1968; merged into Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1968–1970; renamed Employment)
Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988; split into Health and Social Security)
Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning (1969–1970; became Minister of State)
Secretary of State for the Environment (1970–1997; renamed Environment, Transport and the Regions)
Secretary of State for Employment (1970–1995; merged into Education and Employment)
Secretary of State for Energy (1974–1992; merged into Trade and Industry)
Secretary of State for Trade (1974–1983; merged into Trade and Industry)
Secretary of State for Industry (1974–1983; merged into Trade and Industry)
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1974–1979)
Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001; renamed Work and Pensions)
Secretary of State for Education (1992–1995; merged into Education and Employment)
Secretary of State for National Heritage (1992–1997; renamed Culture, Media and Sport)
Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001; split into Education and Skills, and Work and Pensions)
Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001; divided into Transport, Local Government and the Regions and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002; divided into Transport and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (2003–2007; merged with some duties of Home to create Justice)
Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1964–2007; split into Children, Schools and Families and Innovation, Universities and Skills)
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1970–2007; renamed Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform)
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (2007–2009; merged into Business, Innovation and Skills)
Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007–2009; merged into Business, Innovation and Skills)
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade (2007-2016; split into Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and International Trade)
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2008-2016; merged into Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (2016-2020)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968-2020; merged into Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs)
Secretary of State for International Development (1997-2020; merged into Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs)

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. p. 10. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.
"Ministers". Retrieved 16 December 2020.
"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;
Interpretation Act 1978.
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.
Brazier, Rodney (1997). Ministers of the Crown. Oxford: Clarendon. p. 9. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.
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 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 Secretary of State for Education Order 2010.
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.

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. p. 10. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.

[:0-3] "Ministers". Retrieved 16 December 2020.

[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;

[5] Interpretation Act 1978.

[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.

[:4-7] Brazier, Rodney (1997). Ministers of the Crown. Oxford: Clarendon. p. 9. ISBN 0-19-825988-3. OCLC 37301571.

[8] Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964.

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

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

[:1-11] The Transfer of Functions (Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Order 2002.

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

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

[14] 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.

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

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

[:2-17] 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.

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

[:3-19] The Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care and for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Transfer of Functions (Commonhold Land) Order 2018.

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