Department for Education and Employment - Definition and Overview

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is a department in the United Kingdom government created in 2001.

The Department of Education and Science was created in 1964 with the merger of the offices of Minister of Education and the Minister of Science. In 1992 the responsibility for science was transferred to the Cabinet Office's Office of Public Service and the Department of Trade and Industry's Office of Science and Technology, and the department was renamed Department of Education. In 1995 the department merged with the Department of Employment to become the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and in 2001 the employment functions were transferred to a newly created Department for Work and Pensions, with the DfEE becoming the Department for Education and Skills.

Ministers in the Department for Education and Skills as of 16th December 2004.

• Secretary of State for Education and Skills - The Rt Hon. Ruth Kelly MP
  • Minister of State (Children) - The Rt Hon. Margaret Hodge MBE MP
  • Minister of State (School Standards) - Vacant
  • Minister of State - Dr. Kim Howells MP
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - The Lord Filkin CBE
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (For Skills and Vocational Education) - Ivan Lewis MP
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Schools) - Stephen Twigg MP

Permanent Secretaries in the Department for Education and Skills.

• Sir Michael Bichard 1995 - May 2001
• David Normington May 2001 - present