United Kingdom government - Definition and Overview

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

Parliament Crown House of Lords    Lord Chancellor House of Commons    Speaker

Prime Minister Cabinet Government Departments

Scottish Parliament    Scottish Executive National Assembly for Wales    Welsh Assembly Government Northern Ireland Assembly    Northern Ireland Executive

Local government Greater London Authority

Elections: |1997 - 2001 - 2005/6 Political Parties Constitution

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