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 secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and Pensions. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The office holder works alongside the other work and pensions ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The office is currently held by Pat McFadden.

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a labour minister in many other countries, the work and pensions secretary's remit includes:

Support people of working age
Oversight of employers and pensions
Fiscal Consolidation
Providing support for disability
Support for families and children

History

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 (titled the Ministry of Social Insurance until 17 November 1944) 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.

In 2002 the position was incorporated as a corporation sole.

List of ministers and secretaries of state

Colour key (for political parties): Labour / Conservative / Liberal / National Labour / National Independent

Minister of Pensions (1916–1953)

Minister	Political party	Cabinet
	George Nicoll Barnes	10 December 1916	17 August 1917	Labour	Lloyd George
	John Hodge	17 August 1917	10 January 1919	Labour
	Laming Worthington-Evans	10 January 1919	2 April 1920	Conservative
	Ian Macpherson	2 April 1920	19 October 1922	Liberal
	George Tryon	31 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative	Law
Baldwin I
	Frederick Roberts	23 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour	MacDonald I
	George Tryon	11 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative	Baldwin II
	Frederick Roberts	7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour	MacDonald II
	George Tryon	3 September 1931	18 June 1935	Conservative	National I
National II
	Robert Hudson	18 June 1935	30 July 1936	Conservative	National III
	Herwald Ramsbotham	30 July 1936	7 June 1939	Conservative
National IV
	Walter Womersley	7 June 1939	26 July 1945	Conservative	Chamberlain War
Churchill War
Churchill Caretaker
	Wilfred Paling	3 August 1945	17 April 1947	Labour	Attlee
	John Burns Hynd	17 April 1947	7 October 1947	Labour
	George Buchanan	7 October 1947	2 July 1948	Labour
	Hilary Marquand	2 July 1948	17 January 1951	Labour
	George Isaacs	17 January 1951	26 October 1951	Labour
	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	5 November 1951	3 September 1953	Conservative	Churchill III

Minister of Social Insurance/National Insurance (1944–1953)

Minister	Political party	Cabinet
	William Jowitt	8 October 1944	23 May 1945	Labour	Churchill War
	Leslie Hore-Belisha	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	National Independent	Churchill Caretaker
	Jim Griffiths	4 August 1945	28 February 1950	Labour	Attlee
	Edith Summerskill	28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Labour
	Osbert Peake	31 October 1951	3 September 1953	Conservative	Churchill III
Posts of Minister of Pensions and Minister of National Insurance merged in 1953.

Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1953–1966)

Minister	Political party	Cabinet
	Osbert Peake	3 September 1953	20 December 1955	Conservative	Churchill III
Eden
	John Boyd-Carpenter	20 December 1955	16 July 1962	Conservative
Macmillan I
Macmillan II
	Niall Macpherson	16 July 1962	21 October 1963	Conservative
	Richard Wood	21 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home
	Margaret Herbison	18 October 1964	6 August 1966	Labour	Wilson I

Minister of Social Security (1966–1968)

Minister	Term of office	Political party	Cabinet
		Margaret Herbison	6 August 1966	26 July 1967	Labour	Wilson II
		Judith Hart	26 July 1967	1 November 1968	Labour

Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)

Secretary of State	Political party	Cabinet
	Richard Crossman	1 November 1968	19 June 1970	Labour	Wilson II
	Keith Joseph	20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative	Heath
	Barbara Castle	5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Labour	Wilson III
Wilson IV
	David Ennals	8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	Callaghan
	Patrick Jenkin	5 May 1979	13 September 1981	Conservative	Thatcher I
	Norman Fowler	14 September 1981	13 June 1987	Conservative	Thatcher II
	John Moore	13 June 1987	24 July 1988	Conservative	Thatcher III

Post split into the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Health in 1988.

Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001)

Secretary of State	Political party	Cabinet
	John Moore	25 July 1988	22 July 1989	Conservative	Thatcher III
	Tony Newton	23 July 1989	9 April 1992	Conservative
Major I
	Peter Lilley	10 April 1992	1 May 1997	Conservative	Major II
	Harriet Harman	1 May 1997	27 July 1998	Labour	Blair I
	Alistair Darling	27 July 1998	8 June 2001	Labour