His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government object ...

of the

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 ...

. The incumbent Paymaster General is Jeremy Quin MP.

History

The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the positions of the offices of the

Paymaster of the Forces The Paymaster of the Forces was a position in the British government. The office was established in 1661, one year after the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II, and was responsible for part of the financing of the British Army, in ...

(1661–1836), the

Treasurer of the Navy The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. ...

(1546–1835), the Paymaster and Treasurer of

Chelsea Hospital The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an in ...

(responsible for Army pensions) (1681–1835) and the

Treasurer of the Ordnance The Treasurer of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance in the United Kingdom, the office being created in 1670. The office was abolished in 1836 and its duties merged with that of several others to form the office ...

(1670–1835). Initially, the Paymaster General only had responsibilities in relation to the armed services but in 1848 two more offices were merged into that of Paymaster General: the Paymaster of Exchequer Bills (1723–1848) and the Paymaster of the Civil Service (1834–1848), the latter followed by its Irish counterpart in 1861. They thus became 'the principal paying agent of the government and the banker for all government departments except the revenue departments and the

National Debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...

Office'. From 1848 to 1868, the post was held concurrently with that of

Vice-President of the Board of Trade The office of Vice-President of the Board of Trade is a junior ministerial position in the government of the United Kingdom at the Board of Trade. The office was created in 1786 but fell into abeyance in 1867. From 1848 onwards, the office was he ...

. The longest-serving holder of the post was Dawn Primarolo, whose portfolio covered

HM Revenue and Customs HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...

(formerly the

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation t ...

and

HM Customs and Excise HM Customs and Excise (properly known as Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at the time of its dissolution) was a department of the British Government formed in 1909 by the merger of HM Customs and HM Excise; its primary responsibility was t ...

) and who served from 1999 to 2007.

Role

Today, the Paymaster General is usually a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...

available for any duties which the government of the day may designate. The post may be combined with another office, or may be left unfilled. Though the Paymaster General was titular head of the Paymaster General's Office, their executive functions were delegated to the Assistant Paymaster General, a permanent

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

who (though acting in the name of the Paymaster General) was answerable to the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Ch ...

Office of HM Paymaster General

The Paymaster General was formerly in nominal charge (and at one time in actual charge) of the Office of HM Paymaster General (OPG), which held accounts at the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government o ...

on behalf of government departments and selected other public bodies. Funds which were made available from the

Consolidated Fund In many states with political systems derived from the Westminster system, a consolidated fund or consolidated revenue fund is the main bank account of the government. General taxation is taxation paid into the consolidated fund (as opposed ...

were then channelled into OPG accounts, from where they were used by the relevant body. OPG operated a full range of accounts and banking transaction services, including cheque and credit, BACS and

CHAPS Chaps ( or ) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat (the term "assless chaps" is a tautology) and are not jo ...

services for its customers via an electronic banking system. Integration of OPG accounts held with commercial banks was provided by the private company Xafinity Paymaster which is now part of the

Equiniti Equiniti Group is a British-based outsourcing business focused on financial and administration services. History The business has its origins in the share registration business of Lloyds TSB which was bought out from Lloyds by Advent Internat ...

group. However, in 2008, the government announced that the Office of the Paymaster General would be incorporated into a new body, the Government Banking Service, which also provides banking operations for HM Revenue & Customs and

National Savings and Investments National Savings and Investments (NS&I), formerly called the Post Office Savings Bank and National Savings, is a state-owned savings bank in the United Kingdom. It is both a non-ministerial government department and an executive agency of HM Tr ...

. Following the Bank of England's decision to withdraw from providing retail banking services, retail banking and payment services for the GBS are provided by a range of financial institutions including

Barclays Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

NatWest National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, i ...

, and Worldpay, although the Bank of England still plays a role in managing the government's higher level accounts.

List of paymasters general

19th century

* Sir Henry Parnell, Bt. 1836–1841 * Edward Stanley 1841 * Sir Edward Knatchbull, Bt. 1841–1845 *

Bingham Baring William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, (June 1799 – 23 March 1864) was a British businessman and a Whig politician who later became a Tory. Background and education William Bingham Baring was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in June ...

1845–1846 *

Thomas Babington Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1 ...

1846–1848 *

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, (11 May 181531 March 1891), styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-Gower family. He is best remembered for his service as Secreta ...

1848–1852 * Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley 1852 *

Charles Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester Admiral Charles Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester PC (12 March 1798 – 18 October 1867), known as Charles Abbot before 1829, was a British naval commander and Conservative politician. Background and education Colchester was the son of Charles Abbot, ...

1852 *Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley 1853–1855 * Edward Pleydell-Bouverie 1855 *

Robert Lowe Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, GCB, PC (4 December 1811 – 27 July 1892), British statesman, was a pivotal conservative spokesman who helped shape British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William E ...

1855–1858 *

Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore Richard John Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore PC FRS (4 April 1823 – 22 February 1866), styled Viscount Suirdale between 1832 and 1851, was a British Conservative politician. Background Donoughmore was the son of John Hely-Hutchins ...

1858–1859 *

Algernon Percy, Lord Lovaine Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley FSA (21 January 1750 – 21 October 1830), styled Lord Algernon Percy between 1766 and 1786 and known as the Lord Lovaine between 1786 and 1790, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 17 ...

1859 * James Wilson 1859 *

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and sce ...

1859–1860 * William Hutt 1860–1865 * George Goschen 1865–1866 *

William Monsell William Monsell, 1st Baron Emly, PC (21 September 1812 – 20 April 1894) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and Liberal politician. He held a number of ministerial positions between 1852 and 1873, notably as President of the Board of Health in 185 ...

1866 *

Stephen Cave Sir Stephen Cave (28 December 1820 – 6 June 1880) was a British lawyer, writer and Conservative politician. He notably served as Paymaster-General between 1866 and 1868 and again between 1874 and 1880 and as Judge Advocate General between 187 ...

1866–1868 * Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Earl of Dufferin 1868–1872 *

Hugh Childers Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (25 June 1827 – 29 January 1896) was a British Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office. Later in his career, as Chancello ...

1872–1873 * William Adam 1873–1874 *Stephen Cave 1874–1880 * David Plunket 1880 *

George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton George Grenfell Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton PC (10 February 1824 – 6 November 1887), was a British Liberal politician. He held office in three of the Liberal administrations of William Gladstone. Background Wolverton was the eldest of th ...

1880–1885 * Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp 1885–1886 *

Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow Thomas John Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow, PC, FRS (5 December 1838 – 12 March 1916), was a British Liberal politician who served as Paymaster-General in 1886. Family Thurlow was the younger son of Edward Thomas Hovell-T ...

1886 *Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp 1886–1887 *

Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow Adelbert Wellington Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow (19 August 1844 – 17 March 1921), was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician. Background and education Brownlow was the second son of John Egerton, Viscount Alford, eldest ...

1887–1889 * Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey 1889–1890 * Robert Windsor-Clive, 14th Baron Windsor 1890–1892 * Charles Seale-Hayne 1892–1895 * John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun 1895–1899 * Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough 1899–1902

20th century

Savile Crossley Savile Brinton Crossley, 1st Baron Somerleyton (14 June 1857 – 25 February 1935), known as Sir Savile Crossley, Bt, from 1872 to 1916, was a British Liberal Unionist politician who served as Paymaster General from 1902 to 1905. Background ...

1902–1905 * Richard Causton (1st Baron Southwark after 13 July 1910) 1905–1910 *

Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Ashby St Ledgers Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, KP, PC (16 January 1873 – 14 June 1939), known as Lord Ashby St Ledgers from 1910 to 1914 and as Lord Wimborne from 1914 to 1918, was a British politician and one of the last Lords Lieutenant of ...

1910–1912 * Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie 1912–1915 * Thomas Legh, 2nd Baron Newton 1915–1916 *

Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of t ...

1916 * Joseph Compton-Rickett 1916–1919 *

Tudor Walters Sir John Tudor Walters PC (25 February 1866 – 16 July 1933) was a Welsh architect, surveyor and Liberal Party politician. He served as Paymaster-General under David Lloyd George from 1919 to 1922 and once again briefly in 1931 under Rams ...

1919–1922 *''Office vacant'' 1922–1923 *

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeaseme ...

1923 * William Joynson-Hicks 1923 *

Archibald Boyd-Carpenter Major Sir Archibald Boyd Boyd-Carpenter (26 March 1873 – 27 May 1937) was a British Conservative Party politician. Career The fourth son of William Boyd-Carpenter, Bishop of Ripon and Canon of Westminster, Archibald Boyd-Carpenter was educ ...

1923–1924 * Harry Gosling 1924 *''Office vacant'' 1924–1925 * George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland 1925–1928 *

Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow (23 August 1876 – 9 June 1945), styled Viscount Cranley until 1911, was a British peer, diplomat, parliamentary secretary and government minister. Background and education Viscount Cranle ...

1928–1929 *

Sydney Arnold Sydney Arnold, 1st Baron Arnold (13 January 1878 – 3 August 1945) was a radical British Liberal Party politician who later joined the Labour Party and served as a government minister. A son of W. A. Arnold, of Manchester, he was educated at M ...

1929–1931 *''Office vacant'' 1931 *Tudor Walters 1931 *

Ernest Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester Ernest Henry Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester, CMG (4 September 1876 – 13 January 1955) was a British Liberal and National Labour politician who served as Paymaster-General from 1931 to 1935 in the National Government of Ramsay MacDonald. The elde ...

1931–1935 * Robert Hutchison, 1st Baron Hutchison of Montrose 1935–1938 *

Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster Geoffrey William Richard Hugh FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster, KBE, PC (17 February 1906 – 26 August 1975) was a British peer and Conservative politician. Background Munster was the son of Major the Honourable Harold Edward FitzClarence ( ...

1938–1939 *

Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton, PC (4 April 1883 – 26 August 1962), styled Viscount Turnour until 1907, was an Irish peer and British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for 47 years, attaining the rare distinction of servin ...

1939 *''Office vacant'' 1939–1940 * Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 1940 *''Office vacant'' 1940–1941 * Maurice Hankey 1941–1942 *

William Jowitt William Allen Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt, (15 April 1885 – 16 August 1957) was a British Liberal Party, National Labour and then Labour Party politician and lawyer who served as Lord Chancellor under Clement Attlee from 1945 to 1951. Backgro ...

1942 * Frederick Lindemann, 1st Baron Cherwell 1942–1945 *''Office vacant'' 1945–1946 * Arthur Greenwood 9 July 1946 Lab * Hilary Marquand 5 March 1947 Lab * The Viscount Addison 2 July 1948 also

Leader of the House of Lords The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the majority party in the House of Lords who acts as ...

Lab * The Lord Macdonald of Gwaenysgor 1 April 1949 Lab

21st century

List of shadow paymasters general

References

External links

Office of the Paymaster General
– archived version, as of June 2008. Since then the OPG website redirects to the new GBS site:

{{Cabinet Office United Kingdom Paymasters General Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom 1836 establishments in the United Kingdom