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 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
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 LabourRichard 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 NotesGeoffrey 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 Department of Energy (United Kingdom)
References
External links
History of the Department of Energy H. W. Grimmitt, Ministry of Fuel and Power portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, London