Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

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Secretary of State for Work and Pensions


Incumbent: James Purnell MP Took office: 24 January 2008
Style:	The Right Honourable
Appointed by:	Gordon Brown as Prime Minister
First :	George Barnes
Formation:	10 December 1916

United Kingdom
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The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a post in the UK cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security. James Purnell is the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, having been appointed to the position on 24 January 2008, following the resignation of Peter Hain.

The Ministry of Pensions was created in 1916 to handle the payment of war pensions to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependants. In 1944 a separate Ministry of National Insurance (initially titled the Ministry of Social Insurance, it changed its name on 17 November 1944) was formed; the two merged in 1953 as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1966 the Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Security, but this was short-lived, as the Ministry merged with the Ministry of Health in 1968 to form the Department of Health and Social Security. Confusingly, the Secretary of State responsible for this Department was titled the Secretary of State for Social Services. The Department was de-merged in 1988, creating the separate Department of Health and Department of Social Security.

Minister of Pensions

George Barnes (10 December 1916 - 17 August 1917)
John Hodge (17 August 1917 - 10 January 1919)
Sir Laming Worthington-Evans (10 January 1919 - 2 April 1920)
Ian Macpherson (2 April 1920 - 19 October 1922)
George Tryon (31 October 1922 - 22 January 1924)
Frederick Roberts (23 January 1924 - 3 November 1924)
George Tryon (11 November 1924 - 4 June 1929)
Frederick Roberts (7 June 1929 - 24 August 1931)
George Tryon (3 September 1931 - 18 June 1935)
Robert Hudson (18 June 1935 - 30 July 1936)
Herwald Ramsbotham (30 July 1936 - 7 June 1939)
Sir Walter Womersley (7 June 1939 - 26 July 1945)
Wilfred Paling (3 August 1945 - 17 April 1947)
John Hynd (17 April 1947 - 7 October 1947)
George Buchanan (7 October 1947 - 2 July 1948)
Hilary Marquand (2 July 1948 - 17 January 1951)
George Isaacs (17 January 1951 - 26 October 1951)
Derick Heathcoat-Amory (5 November 1951 - 3 September 1953)

Sir William Jowitt (8 October 1944 - 23 May 1945)
Leslie Hore-Belisha (25 May 1945 - 26 July 1945)
James Griffiths (4 August 1945 - 28 February 1950)
Edith Summerskill (28 February 1950 - 26 October 1951)
Osbert Peake (31 October 1951 - 3 September 1953)

Osbert Peake (3 September 1953 - 20 December 1955)
John Boyd-Carpenter (20 December 1955 - 16 July 1962)
Niall Macpherson (16 July 1962 - 21 October 1963)
Richard Wood (21 October 1963 - 16 October 1964)
Margaret Herbison (18 October 1964 - 6 August 1966)

Richard Crossman (1 November 1968 - 19 June 1970)
Sir Keith Joseph (20 June 1970 - 4 March 1974)
Barbara Castle (5 March 1974 - 8 April 1976)
David Ennals (8 April 1976 - 4 May 1979)
Patrick Jenkin (5 May 1979 - 14 September 1981)
Norman Fowler (14 September 1981 - 13 June 1987)
John Moore (13 June 1987 - 25 July 1988)

John Moore (25 July 1988 - 23 July 1989)
Tony Newton (23 July 1989 - 10 April 1992)
Peter Lilley (10 April 1992 - 2 May 1997)
Harriet Harman (3 May 1997 - 27 July 1998)
Alistair Darling (27 July 1998 - 8 June 2001)

Alistair Darling (8 June 2001 - 29 May 2002)
Andrew Smith (29 May 2002 - 8 September 2004)
Alan Johnson (8 September 2004 - 6 May 2005)
David Blunkett (6 May 2005 - 2 November 2005)
John Hutton (2 November 2005 - 27 June 2007)
Peter Hain (28 June 2007 - 24 January 2008)
James Purnell (24 January 2008 - present)