The Social Fund Commissioner [1] was an office created under United Kingdom social security legislation in 1986 to lead the Social Fund. [2] They were intended to be independent of the government department responsible for social security provision. The office-holder was appointed by the Secretary of State and was the head of the Independent Review Service, located in Birmingham, the headquarters of the Social Fund Inspectors of Great Britain. There was also a small inspectorate in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
There have been four individuals who have held the post of Social Fund Commissioner since the Social Fund scheme was introduced until its abolition in April 2013. Each individual was appointed as the Social Fund Commissioner for both Great Britain and for Northern Ireland.
The Home Office (HO) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for immigration, security, and law and order. As such, it is responsible for policing in England and Wales, fire and rescue services in England, visas and immigration, and the Security Service (MI5). It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism, and ID cards. It was formerly responsible for Her Majesty's Prison Service and the National Probation Service, but these have been transferred to the Ministry of Justice. The Cabinet minister responsible for the department is the Home Secretary, currently Priti Patel.
See Also: List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories
A police authority in the United Kingdom is a public authority that is responsible for overseeing the operations of a police force. The nature and composition of police authorities has varied over time, and there are now just four dedicated "police authorities" in the United Kingdom, although the term can refer to various similar successor bodies.
Peter Denis Sutherland was an Irish businessman, barrister and politician who served as UN Special Representative for International Migration from 2006 to 2017, Chairman of Goldman Sachs from 1995 to 2015, Director-General of the World Trade Organization from 1993 to 1995, European Commissioner for Competition from 1985 to 1989 and Attorney General of Ireland from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1984.
Karamjit Sukhminder Singh is a British public servant. He was a member of the United Kingdom's Electoral Commission from 2001 to 2010, and the Social Fund Commissioner for Great Britain from 2009 to 2013 and for Northern Ireland from 2009 to 2015. He has been Chairman of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust since 2014
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) is a non-departmental public body funded through the Northern Ireland Office but operating independently of government as the national human rights institution (NHRI) for Northern Ireland. It came into existence on 1 March 1999, having been created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom through section 68 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, in compliance with a commitment made by the UK Government in the Belfast Agreement of 10 April 1998. Its powers were amended by the Justice and Security Act 2007.
Dame Katharine Mary Barker is a British economist. She is principally noted for her role at the Bank of England and for advising the British government on social issues such as housing and health care.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws in England, Scotland and Wales. It took over the responsibilities of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission. It also has responsibility for other aspects of equality law: age, sexual orientation and religion or belief. A national human rights institution, it seeks to promote and protect human rights in England and Wales.
The Department for Communities is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Communities. The department was previously created in May 2016 following the Fresh Start Agreement and the dissolution of several departments, such as the Department for Social Development, the Department of the Environment, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Department for Employment and Learning from which several functions have amalgamated.
Sir Philip John Woodfield, was a British civil servant.
An executive agency is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government or Northern Ireland Executive. Executive agencies are "machinery of government" devices distinct both from non-ministerial government departments and non-departmental public bodies, each of which enjoy a real legal and constitutional separation from ministerial control. The model was also applied in several other countries.
Sir Julian Beresford King is a British diplomat and civil servant who served as Ambassador to Ireland and France and Director General of the Northern Ireland Office. On 8 July 2016, he was nominated by David Cameron to succeed Jonathan Hill as the British European Commissioner. On 2 August 2016, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced his intention to allocate King the Security Union portfolio. After the approval of his nomination by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, he took office on 19 September 2016. With the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020, he was the last British official to hold a position and portfolio within the European Commission.
The Commissioner for Public Appointments is a British public servant, appointed by The Queen, whose primary role is to provide independent assurance that ministerial public appointments across the United Kingdom by HM Government Ministers are made in accordance with the Principles of Public Appointments and the Cabinet Office's Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Commissioner issues an annual report and a statistical bulletin each year.
Sir Robin Richard Tilt is a British public servant. Formerly a prison governor, he served as Director General of Her Majesty's Prison Service (1996–99), Social Fund Commissioner (2000–09), Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Committee (2004–11) and Independent Chair of the Internet Watch Foundation (2012–17). He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1999 Birthday Honours.
The Winter Fuel Payment is a state benefit paid once per year in the United Kingdom to qualifying individuals. It is intended to cover the additional costs of heating over the winter months. It was first introduced by the Labour government in 1997, and was first announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in his Pre-Budget Statement of that year.
The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations at the start of January and were announced on 30 December.
Rosalind Jean Mackworth, was a British solicitor and public servant. She was Chair of the Judicial Commission of the European Union of Women from 1984 to 1987, and served as the first Social Fund Commissioner from 1987 to 1996. Having qualified as a solicitor in 1956, she worked at Gregory Rowcliffe before setting up her own practice in 1967. She amalgamated her practice into Mackworth Rowland in 1982 and that incorporated into Ashley Wilson Solicitors in 2006.