Government Departments

The main role of government departments and their agencies is to implement government policy and to advise ministers. They are staffed by politically impartial civil servants and generally receive their funding from money provided by Parliament. They often work alongside local authorities, non-departmental public bodies, and other government-sponsored organizations.

The role of government departments is to implement policy and advise ministers. The structure and functions of departments are sometimes reorganized if there are major changes in government policy, A change of government, however, does not necessarily affect the functions of departments.

The work of some departments (for instance, the Ministry of Defence) covers the UK as a whole. Other departments, such as the Department for Work and Pensions, cover England, Wales and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland.

Others again, such as the Department for Education and Skills, are mainly concerned with affairs in England and Wales.

Most departments are headed by ministers. However, some are non-ministerial departments headed by a permanent office holder and ministers with other duties are accountable for them to Parliament. For example, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills accounts to Parliament for the work of the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). OFSTED is headed by HM Chief Inspector of Schools in England, who is largely independent of the Secretary of State.

A non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a national or regional public body, working independently of ministers to whom they are accountable. There are two main types of NDPB:

1. Executive NDPBs are those with executive, administrative, commercial or regulatory functions. They carry out set functions within a government framework, but the degree of operational independence varies. Examples include the Arts Council of England, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.

2. Advisory NDPBs are those set up by ministers to advise them and their departments on particular matters. Examples include the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Low Pay Commission. Some Royal
Commissions are also classified as advisory NDPBs.

There are currently over 1,000 NDPBs in the UK. A list of all NDPBs is held centrally by the Cabinet Office and is issued annually in the publication 'Public Bodies'. An online directory is available via the Cabinet Office website.