Ministry of Power (United Kingdom)
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 11 June 1942 |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Dissolved | 6 October 1969 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
The Ministry of Power was a United Kingdom government ministry dealing with issues concerning energy.
The Ministry of Power (then named Ministry of Fuel and Power) was created on 11 June 1942 from functions separated from the Board of Trade. It took charge of coal production, allocation of fuel supplies, control of energy prices and petrol rationing. These had previously been dealt with by the Secretary for Mines and in the case of petroleum since 1940 by the Secretary for Petroleum. The Petroleum Board, responsible for the coordination of the war-time petroleum 'pool' for oil supplies (except oil for the Royal Navy), continued in this role until the Board was dissolved in 1948. It also took over responsibility for electricity from the Ministry of War Transport and its predecessor the Ministry of Transport.
The Ministry of Fuel and Power was renamed the Ministry of Power in January 1957. The Ministry of Power later became part of the Ministry of Technology on 6 October 1969, which merged into the Department of Trade and Industry on 20 October 1970. In 1974, its responsibilities were split out to form the Department of Energy, and then merged back into DTI in 1992; a separate Department of Energy and Climate Change was created in 2008 and then merged back in 2016 to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Those who worked at the Ministry include:
- Arthur Boissier, Director of Public Relations (1943–1945) and formerly Headmaster of Harrow School.
- Maurice Bridgeman, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Petroleum Division (1944–1946).
- Sir Donald Fergusson, Permanent Secretary (1945–1952).
- John Maud, later Lord Redcliffe-Maud, civil servant (1952–1958).
- Harold Wilson, Director of Economics and Statistics (1943–1944) and later Prime Minister.
- Malcolm Patrick Murray, Under Secretary in the Electricity Division (1946–1959).
Ministers
Ministers of Fuel and Power
| Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwilym Lloyd-George | 3 June 1942 | 26 July 1945 | Liberal | ||
| Emanuel Shinwell | 3 August 1945 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | ||
| Hugh Gaitskell | 7 October 1947 | 28 February 1950 | Labour | Office no longer in Cabinet | |
| Philip Noel-Baker | 28 February 1950 | 31 October 1951 | Labour | ||
| Geoffrey Lloyd | 31 October 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | ||
| Aubrey Jones | 20 December 1955 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | ||
Ministers of Power
| Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lord Mills | 13 January 1957 | 14 October 1959 | Conservative | ||
| Richard Wood | 14 October 1959 | 20 October 1963 | Conservative | Office not in Cabinet | |
| Frederick Erroll | 20 October 1963 | Conservative | Office back in Cabinet | ||
| Fred Lee | 18 October 1964 | 6 April 1966 | Labour | ||
| Richard Marsh | 6 April 1966 | 6 April 1968 | Labour | ||
| Ray Gunter | 6 April 1968 | 1 July 1968 | Labour | ||
| Roy Mason | 1 July 1968 | 6 October 1969 | Labour | Office abolished: Amalgamated with Ministry of Technology | |
Parliamentary Secretaries
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Lloyd | 3 June 1942 | 23 May 1945 | Conservative | Jointly | |
| Tom Smith | 3 June 1942 | 23 May 1945 | Labour | Jointly | |
| Sir Austin Hudson, Bt | 26 May 1945 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | ||
| William Foster | 4 August 1945 | 10 May 1946 | Labour | ||
| Hugh Gaitskell | 10 May 1946 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | ||
| Alfred Robens | 7 October 1947 | 26 April 1951 | Labour | ||
| Harold Neal | 26 April 1951 | 31 October 1951 | Labour | ||
| Lancelot Joynson-Hicks | 5 November 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | ||
| David Lockhart-Mure Renton | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | |||
| David Renton | 18 January 1957 | 17 January 1958 | Conservative | To Ministry of Power | |
| Sir Ian Horobin | 17 January 1958 | 22 October 1959 | Conservative | ||
| John George | 22 October 1959 | 25 June 1962 | Conservative | ||
| John Peyton | 25 June 1962 | 18 October 1964 | Conservative | ||
| John Morris | 21 October 1964 | 10 January 1966 | Labour | ||
| Lord Lindgren | 10 January 1966 | 6 April 1966 | Labour | ||
| Jeremy Bray | 6 April 1966 | 7 January 1967 | Labour | ||
| Reginald Freeson | 7 January 1967 | 6 October 1969 | Labour | Office abolished | |
See also
External links
- History of the Department of Energy
- H. W. Grimmitt, Ministry of Fuel and Power portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, London
| Ministers of Fuel, Light and Power |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Minister of Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power | ||
| Ministers of Fuel and Power | ||
| Ministers of Power | ||
| Ministers of Technology | ||
| Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry | ||
| Secretaries of State for Energy | ||
| Presidents of the Board of Trade and Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry | ||
| Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform | ||
| Secretaries of State for Energy and Climate Change | ||
| Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | ||
