The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a
secretary of state in the
Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the
Department for Work and Pensions. The incumbent is a member of the
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of His Majesty's Government. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the prime minister and its members include secretaries of state and other senior ministers.
T ...
.
The office holder works alongside the other
Work and Pensions ministers. The corresponding
shadow minister is the
shadow secretary of state for work and pensions and the
shadow secretary of state for the future of work. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the
Work and Pensions Select Committee.
The office is currently held by
Mel Stride.
Responsibilities
Corresponding to what is generally known as a
labour minister Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
in many other countries, the work and pensions secretary's remit includes:
* Support people of
working age
* Oversight of employers and
pensions
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
* Fiscal Consolidation
* Providing support for
disability
* Support for families and children
History
It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment division of the
Department for Education and Employment and the
Department of Social Security.
The
Ministry of Pensions
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian mi ...
was created in 1916 to handle the payment of war pensions to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependants. In 1944 a separate
Ministry of National Insurance (titled the Ministry of Social Insurance until 17 November 1944) was formed; the two merged in 1953 as the
Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.
In 1966 the Ministry was renamed the
Ministry of Social Security, but this was short-lived, as the Ministry merged with the
Ministry of Health Ministry of Health may refer to:
Note: Italics indicate now-defunct ministries.
* Ministry of Health (Argentina)
* Ministry of Health (Armenia)
* Australia:
** Ministry of Health (New South Wales)
* Ministry of Health (The Bahamas)
* Ministry of ...
in 1968 to form the
Department of Health and Social Security. Confusingly, the Secretary of State responsible for this Department was titled the
Secretary of State for Social Services. The Department was de-merged in 1988, creating the separate
Department of Health and Department of Social Security.
List of Ministers and Secretaries of state
Colour key (for political parties):
/ / / /
* Incumbent's length of term last updated: .
See also
*
Secretary of State for Employment
The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001 the employment functions w ...
*
References
{{Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom
Work and Pensions, Secretary of State
Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...