Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, also referred to as the Work and Pensions Secretary, is a senior Minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of the Department for Work and Pensions. The office forms part of the British Cabinet.
The current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is Thérèse Coffey, MP since her appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in September 2019.Responsibilities
Corresponding to what is generally known as a labour minister in many other countries, the Work and Pensions Secretary's remit includes:
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 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 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 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.Colour key :
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!colspan=7 |Minister of Social Insurance/National Insurance (1944–53)
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!colspan=8 |Ministers of Social Security (1966–68)
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!colspan=8 |Secretaries of State for Social Security (1988–2001)
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!colspan=8 |Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions (2001–present)
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