Ministry of Power (United Kingdom)
{{Short description|Former UK Government department (1942–1969)}}
{{About|the British Ministry|its Indian counterparts|Ministry of Power (India)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox government agency
|agency_name = Ministry of Power
|type = Department
|formed = 11 June 1942
|preceding4 = Secretary for Mines
|preceding3 = Secretary for Petroleum
|preceding2 = Ministry of War Transport
|preceding1 = Board of Trade
|dissolved = 6 October 1969
|superseding = Ministry of Technology
|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
=Fuel and power=
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2 | Name
! Took office ! Left office ! Political party ! Notes |
|---|
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| 3 June 1942 | 26 July 1945 | Liberal | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 3 August 1945 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 7 October 1947 | 28 February 1950 | Labour | Office no longer in Cabinet |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 28 February 1950 | 31 October 1951 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 31 October 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 20 December 1955 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | |
=Power=
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2 | Name
! Took office ! Left office ! Political party ! Notes |
|---|
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 13 January 1957 | 14 October 1959 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 14 October 1959 | 20 October 1963 | Conservative | Office not in Cabinet |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 20 October 1963 | | Conservative | Office back in Cabinet |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| Fred Lee | 18 October 1964 | 6 April 1966 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 6 April 1966 | 6 April 1968 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 6 April 1968 | 1 July 1968 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 1 July 1968 | 6 October 1969 | Labour | Office abolished: Amalgamated with Ministry of Technology |
Parliamentary secretaries
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2 | Name
! Took office ! Left office ! Party ! Notes |
|---|
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 3 June 1942 | 23 May 1945 | Conservative | Jointly |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 3 June 1942 | 23 May 1945 | Labour | Jointly |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 26 May 1945 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 4 August 1945 | 10 May 1946 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 10 May 1946 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 7 October 1947 | 26 April 1951 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 26 April 1951 | 31 October 1951 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 5 November 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 20 December 1955 | | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 18 January 1957 | 17 January 1958 | Conservative | To Ministry of Power |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 17 January 1958 | 22 October 1959 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 22 October 1959 | 25 June 1962 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 25 June 1962 | 18 October 1964 | Conservative | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 21 October 1964 | 10 January 1966 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 10 January 1966 | 6 April 1966 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 6 April 1966 | 7 January 1967 | Labour | |
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 7 January 1967 | 6 October 1969 | Labour | Office abolished |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Ministry of Fuel and Power}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20061209071507/http://www.dti.gov.uk/about/aboutus/history/outlines/The%20Department%20of%20Energy%201974%20-%201992/page24456.html History of the Department of Energy]
- [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp76751 H. W. Grimmitt, Ministry of Fuel and Power] portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, London
{{Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry Of Power}}
Category:Electric power generation in the United Kingdom
Category:Energy history of the United Kingdom
Category:Energy policy of the United Kingdom
Category:1942 establishments in the United Kingdom
{{UK-gov-stub}}