Departments of the United Kingdom Government - Definition and Overview

This article is part of the series Politics of the United Kingdom

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The agencies responsible for the government of the United Kingdom consist of a number of ministerial departments (usually headed by a Secretary of State) and non-ministerial departments headed by senior civil servants.

Departments of the United Kingdom Government

Ministerial Departments

• Cabinet Office (CO) [1] (http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk)
  • Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) [2] (http://www.hmso.gov.uk/)
  • Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC)
• Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) [3] (http://www.dca.gov.uk)
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport (dcms) [4] (http://www.culture.gov.uk)
• Ministry of Defence (MoD) [5] (http://www.mod.uk)
• Department for Education and Skills (DfES) [6] (http://www.dfes.gov.uk)
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) [7] (http://www.defra.gov.uk)
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) [8] (http://www.fco.gov.uk)
• Department of Health (DH) [9] (http://www.doh.gov.uk)
• Home Office (HO) [10] (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk)
• Department for International Development (DFID) [11] (http://www.dfid.gov.uk)
• Law Officers' Department (LSLO) [12] (http://www.lslo.gov.uk)
• Northern Ireland Office (NIO) [13] (http://www.nio.gov.uk)
• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) [14] (http://www.odpm.gov.uk)
• Office of the Leader of the House of Commons [15] (http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk)
• Prime Minister's Office (No 10) [16] (http://www.pm.gov.uk)
• Privy Council Office (PCO) [17] (http://www.privycouncil.gov.uk)
• Scotland Office (SO) [18] (http://www.scottishsecretary.gov.uk)
• Department of Trade and Industry (dti) [19] (http://www.dti.gov.uk)
• Department for Transport (DfT) [20] (http://www.dft.gov.uk)
  • Air Accident Invesigation Branch
  • Driving Standards Agency
  • Marine Accident Investigation Branch
  • National Foundation for Educational Research
  • Transport Research Laboratory
  • Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency, Northern Ireland
• HM Treasury (HMT) [21] (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk)
• Wales Office (WO) [22] (http://www.walesoffice.gov.uk)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) [23] (http://www.dwp.gov.uk)

Non-Ministerial Departments

• The British Council [24] (http://www.britishcouncil.org/)
• British Trade International [25] (http://tradepartners.gov.uk)
• Charity Commission [26] (http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk)
• Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRND) [27] (http://www.crnd.gov.uk)
• Crown Estate [28] (http://www.crownestate.co.uk)
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) [29] (http://www.cps.gov.uk)
• Export Credits Guarantee Department ECGD [30] (http://www.ecgd.gov.uk)
• Food Standards Agency [31] (http://www.food.gov.uk)
• Forestry Commission [32] (http://www.forestry.gov.uk)
• HM Customs & Excise (HMCE) [33] (http://www.hmce.gov.uk)
• Inland Revenue (IR) [34] (http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk)
• Land Registry [35] (http://www.landreg.gov.uk)
• Nuclear Decommissioning Authority [36] (http://www.nda.gov.uk)
• Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) [37] (http://www.ofsted.gov.uk)
• Office for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas (NI) (OFREG) [38] (http://www.nics.gov.uk/ofreg)
• Office of Communications (Ofcom) [39] (http://www.ofcom.org.uk)
• Office of the E-envoy (OeE) [40] (http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk)
• Office of Fair Trading (OFT) [41] (http://www.oft.gov.uk)
• Office of Gas and Electricity Markets/Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (OFGEM) [42] (http://www.ofgem.gov.uk)
• Office of Government Commerce (OGC) [43] (http://www.ogc.gov.uk)
• Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) [44] (http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk)
• Office of National Statistics (ONS) [45] (http://www.statistics.gov.uk)
• Office of Science and Technology (OST) [46] (http://www.ost.gov.uk)
• Office of the International Rail Regulator (OIRR) [47] (http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk)
• Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) [48] (http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk)
• Office of Water Services (OFWAT) [49] (http://www.ofwat.gov.uk)
• Postal Services Commission (PSC) [50] (http://www.psc.gov.uk)
• Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) [51] (http://www.pwlb.gov.uk)
• Serious Fraud Office (SFO) [52] (http://www.sfo.gov.uk)
• UK Trade and Investment [53] (http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk)

Unsorted

• The Stationery Office [54] (http://www.tso.co.uk)

See also

• UK topics
• QuANGO
• Public Bodies and Task Forces of the UK Government