The Government of the United Kingdom is divided into departments that each have responsibility,according to the government,for putting government policy into practice. There are currently 24 ministerial departments,20 non-ministerial departments,and 422 agencies and other public bodies,for a total of 465 departments.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a British public body responsible for the encouragement,regulation and enforcement of workplace health,safety and welfare. It has additionally adopted a research role into occupational risks in the United Kingdom. It is a non-departmental public body with its headquarters in Bootle,England. In Northern Ireland,these duties lie with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. The HSE was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974,and has since absorbed earlier regulatory bodies such as the Factory Inspectorate and the Railway Inspectorate though the Railway Inspectorate was transferred to the Office of Rail and Road in April 2006. The HSE is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. As part of its work,HSE investigates industrial accidents,small and large,including major incidents such as the explosion and fire at Buncefield in 2005. Though it formerly reported to the Health and Safety Commission,on 1 April 2008,the two bodies merged.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for welfare,pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age,disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. It is the second largest governmental department in terms of employees,and the largest in terms of expenditure (£187bn).
The parliamentary under-secretary of state is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government,immediately junior to a Minister of State,which is itself junior to a Secretary of State.
Sir Richard Philip Douglas CB is a British former senior civil servant and influential health leader. He previously served as Director General for Finance,Strategy and the NHS at the Department of Health.
The Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence,also called the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence,is the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence. The office holder is the government's principal civilian adviser on Defence matters. The office holder is a member of the Defence Council and the Defence Board. They are the MOD Principal Accounting Officer,and are called to give evidence to the Defence Select Committee.
James Edward Bowler CB is a senior British civil servant currently serving as the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury since October 2022 having previously served as permanent secretary at the Department for International Trade since 2021. Before assuming this role,Bowler was the second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office from 2020 to 2021 where he led the COVID Taskforce for the British Government. He was the Director General for Policy,Communication and Analysis at the Ministry of Justice from March to October 2020. Bowler is currently Trustee of the charity Police Now.
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries. The dates vary,both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London Gazette and many are conferred by the monarch some time after the date of the announcement,particularly for those service people on active duty.
The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. The Queen's Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 2014 in the United Kingdom,on 9 June 2014 in Australia,on 2 June 2014 in New Zealand,on 14 June 2014 in Grenada,Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands,Tuvalu,Saint Lucia and Belize.
The Honours Committee is a committee within the Cabinet Office of the Government of the United Kingdom formed to review nominations for national honours for merit,exceptional achievement or service. Twice yearly the Honours Committee submits formal recommendations for the British monarch's New Years and Birthday Honours. Members of the Honours Committee—which comprises a main committee and nine subcommittees in speciality areas—research and vet nominations for national awards,including knighthoods and the Order of the British Empire.
Sir Richard Nicholas Heaton,KCB is a barrister and former senior British civil servant who was the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery from September 2015 until resigning in August 2020. He had previously served as Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary,and First Parliamentary Counsel. He currently serves as Warden of Robinson College,Cambridge.
Shona Hunter Dunn is a British civil servant,serving since October 2018 as the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.
Joanna Carolyn Penn,Baroness Penn,known as JoJo Penn,is a British political advisor. She was a baroness-in-waiting from March 2020 to September 2022. Since 1 March 2024 she has been a Minister on Leave.
Laura Trott is a British politician who has served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury since November 2023. A member of the Conservative Party,she was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks in 2019. Trott previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions between October 2022 and November 2023. Before entering parliament,Trott worked as a partner at Portland Communications,and as a special adviser.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is a British Government body that advises central government in emergencies. It is usually chaired by the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific Adviser. Specialists from academia and industry,along with experts from within government,make up the participation,which will vary depending on the emergency. SAGE gained public prominence for its role in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. The honours for New Zealand were announced on 1 June,and for Australia on 8 June.
Jeremy Mark Pocklington CB is a British civil servant who has served as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero since February 2023. He served as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Levelling Up,Housing and Communities (DLUHC) from March 2020 to February 2023. He was formerly Director General for Housing and Planning at the MHCLG,having served in that role from August 2018 until his appointment as Permanent Secretary at the MHCLG.
A permanent under-secretary of state,known informally as a permanent secretary,is the most senior civil servant of a ministry in the United Kingdom,charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis. Similar offices,often employing different terms,exist in many other Westminster-style systems and in some other governments. In the United States,the equivalent position is a Deputy Secretary of an executive department,though British permanent secretaries are career civil servants.
The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. They were announced on 1 June 2022,in anticipation of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. They were the last honours granted by the Queen before her death on 8 September 2022.
