The secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the

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, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office has been dubbed "Minister of Fun".

Responsibilities

The secretary has overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Responsibilities include: * Arts and Culture * Broadcasting * Creative industries * Creative Industries Council * Cultural property, heritage and the historic environment * Cultural Renewal Taskforce * Culture, sports and arts sector recovery from COVID-19 * Data Protection Regulator - the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) * Gambling and racing * Libraries * Media ownership and mergers * Museums and galleries * The National Lottery * Sport * Telecommunications and online * Tourism

History

The office was created in 1992 by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

John Major, as Secretary of State for National Heritage. In his autobiography, Major says that, before the office was created, responsibility for cultural interests was shared among various departments, but important to none of them. For instance, arts and libraries, although a separate department, had no minister in the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

, sport was part of the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Departme ...

, film was part of the Department of Trade and Industry, broadcasting was part of the Home Office, tourism was part of the

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and heritage was part of the

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

. He also wrote that the system tended to favour the interests of the articulate and well-connected

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based arts lobby. Thus, when he became Prime Minister, Major said that he saw that the only way to give culture and sport the higher profile that he thought that they deserved was to establish a new department, under a minister of Cabinet rank, to bring together all aspects of the arts, sport and heritage.

List of secretaries of state

References

{{Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom Culture, Media and Sport

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 1992 establishments in the United Kingdom

Responsibilities

History

List of secretaries of state

See also

References