|
The Permanent Secretary, in most departments officially titled the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (although the full title is rarely used), is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis. The Permanent Secretary is usually created a Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath if not already holding the title (although the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be created a Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George instead). The most senior Permanent Secretaries, such as the Secretary of the Cabinet, may be created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and even be given a life peerage after retirement. The civil service of the United Kingdom is the permanent bureaucracy that supports the political Government responsible to the Sovereign, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, in administering the United Kingdom. ...
The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ...
A ministry is a department of a government, led by a minister. ...
Military Badge of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ...
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. ...
On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ...
A Cabinet Secretary is a senior official (almost always a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a Cabinet. ...
Military Badge of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ...
In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ...
The Permanent Secretary is the Accounting Officer of the Department, which means that he or she is answerable to Parliament for ensuring that the Department spends money granted by Parliament appropriately. Permanent Secretaries are thus frequently called for questioning by the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons. Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here:This article is about the legislative institution. ...
A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest. ...
British House of Commons Canadian House of Commons In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ...
Some larger departments also have a Second Permanent Secretary who acts as deputy. In the early 1970s, there was a major reorganisation of Whitehall and many smaller Ministries were amalgamated into larger Departments. Following this reorganisation, virtually all Departments had Second Permanent Secretaries. However, this is no longer the case. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...
The most famous (albeit fictional) Permanent Secretary is probably Sir Humphrey Appleby of the BBC TV series Yes, Minister. Sir Humphrey Appleby, on the left, giving directions to the Minister as usual Sir Humphrey Appleby is one of the three main characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister. ...
Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...
A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ...
Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister are British sitcoms that were transmitted by the BBC between 1980 and 1988. ...
Current Permanent Secretaries There are currently 25 individuals in UK government departments with the grade of Permanent Secretary and 15 with the grade of Second Permanent Secretary. However, not all have these titles. The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministries, known in the United Kingdom as Government Departments. ...
The following departments are headed by officials who actually hold the title of Permanent Secretary: The following departments are headed by individuals on the same grade who hold different titles: The Cabinet Office is a United Kingdom government department. ...
The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) is a United Kingdom government department. ...
DCMS Logo DCMS headquarters in Cockspur Street The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (sometimes abbreviated DCMS) is a department of the British government. ...
Main Building - The Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, Westminster, London Tri-service badge of the UK armed forces The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the UK military. ...
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is a department of the British government. ...
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is a department in the United Kingdom government created in 2001. ...
The logo of Defra The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities. ...
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. ...
The Department of Health headquarters in Whitehall The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government. ...
The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ...
DFID is the United Kingdom Department for International Development, it is headed by the Secretary of State for International Development. ...
The term Scottish Executive is used in two distinct but closely related senses. ...
The Department of Trade and Industry is a United Kingdom government department. ...
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ...
The new eastern entrance to HM Treasury HM Treasury (Her/His Majestys Treasury) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for and putting into effect the UK Governments financial and economic policy. ...
The National Assembly for Wales (or NAfW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) is a devolved assembly (not a full legislature) with power to make regulations in Wales, and also is responsible for most UK government departments in Wales. ...
The Department for Work and Pensions is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security. ...
The following departments of the Northern Ireland Executive are also headed by Permanent Secretaries: The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance. ...
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the government executive agency charged with the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of the United Kingdom at national and local levels. ...
The Parliamentary Counsel Office is a team of approximately 60 lawyers who draft legislation for the United Kingdom Parliament, principally government bills, but also certain Orders in Council and other secondary legislation. ...
Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is a new department of the British Government created by the merger of the Inland Revenue and Her Majestys Customs and Excise which came into formal effect on 18 April 2005. ...
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service or simply Six, is the United Kingdoms external security agency. ...
Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London MI5, officially called the Security Service, is a British counter-intelligence and security agency. ...
The Treasury Solicitors Department (TSD) is the largest in-house legal organisation of the United Kingdom Government. ...
The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...
- Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
- Department of Education
- Department for Employment and Learning
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
- Department of the Environment
- Department of Finance and Personnel (also has a Second Permanent Secretary)
- Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
- Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
- Department for Regional Development
- Department for Social Development
Outside the UK In the Republic of Ireland, the position of Secretary-General of a Department is almost identical to that of a Permanent Secretary in the British Civil Service, with the exception that since the introduction in the mid-1990s, of the Strategic Management Initative, the post is no longer permanent, but carries a seven year time limit. This coincided with the introduction of the change of title from the previous title of Secretary. Irish government departments may also have a Second Secretary, which is equivalent to the Second Permanent Secretary grade in the British Civil Service. See also Civil service of the Republic of Ireland. The civil service (an stát-sheirbhÃs in Irish) of the Republic of Ireland consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State. ...
Other Commonwealth or Westminister-style governments may also have officials holding the title of, or equivalent to, Permanent Secretary. In Canada, the position is Deputy Minister. In Canada, a Deputy Minister is the senior civil servant in a government department and assists the Minister of the department who is a member of the Canadian Cabinet. ...
In Hong Kong, after the introduction of a layer of political appointees to handle individual ministerial portfolios by the second Tung Chee Hua government in 2001, the former civil servant heads of bureaux switch their title to Permanent Secretaries.
See also |