Formed 5 June 2009 Jurisdiction United Kingdom | Dissolved 14 July 2016 | |
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Preceding Department Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills Superseding agency Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Department for International Trade Headquarters 1, Victoria Street, London | ||
The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) was a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). It was disbanded on the creation of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 July 2016.
Contents
Previous Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
Following the department's dissolution, it no longer has ministers responsible.
The Permanent Secretary was Sir Martin Donnelly.
Responsibilities
The department was responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas:
Some policies apply to England alone due to devolution, while others are not devolved and therefore apply to other nations of the United Kingdom.
Devolution
Economic policy is mostly devolved but several important policy areas are reserved to Westminster. Further and higher education policy is mostly devolved. Reserved and excepted matters are outlined below.
Scotland
Reserved matters:
The Scottish Government Economy and Education Directorates handle devolved economic and further and higher education policy respectively.
Northern Ireland
Reserved matters:
Excepted matter:
The department's main counterparts are:
Wales
Under the Welsh devolution settlement, specific policy areas are transferred to the Welsh Government rather than reserved to Westminster.