Archive Website of the UK government

Staffing, finance and organisation

Departments and agencies are staffed by politically impartial civil servants and are funded by Parliament. They work with local authorities, non-departmental public bodies, and other government-sponsored organisations.

The structure and functions of departments are sometimes reorganised 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 Children, Schools and Families, 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.

• List of government ministers and departments Opens new window

Executive agencies

An executive agency is a public institution that delivers government services for the United Kingdom government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive.

An agency does not set the policy required to carry out its functions - these are determined by the department that oversees the agency. For example, Jobcentre Plus is an executive agency and part of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Agencies are headed by chief executives, who are personally responsible for day-to-day operations. They are normally directly accountable to the responsible minister, who in turn is accountable to Parliament.

Abolition, privatisation, contracting-out, merger or rationalisation of a given government function are all options considered on their merits before an agency is set up.

Non-departmental public bodies

A non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a national or regional public body, working independently of ministers to whom they are nevertheless accountable. They are not staffed by civil servants. There are two main types of NDPB.

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.

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.

Further information

The A-Z of central government has contact details for government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Public appointments to the board of a public body are explained in the article of the same name linked below.

• A-Z of central government (directories section)

• What are public appointments?