Member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The secretary of state for culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.[3] The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office has been dubbed "Minister of Fun".[4]
Responsibilities
The secretary has overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.[3] Responsibilities include:[3]
- Arts and Culture
- Broadcasting
- Creative industries
- Creative Industries Council
- Cultural property, heritage and the historic environment
- Cultural Renewal Taskforce
- Culture, sports and arts sector recovery from COVID-19
- Gambling and racing
- Libraries
- Media ownership and mergers
- Museums and galleries
- The National Lottery
- Sport
- Tourism
History
The office was created in 1992 by Prime Minister John Major, as Secretary of State for National Heritage.[5] In his autobiography, Major says that, before the office was created, responsibility for cultural interests was shared among various departments, but important to none of them.[6] For instance, arts and libraries, although a separate department, had no minister in the Cabinet, sport was part of the Department for Education, film was part of the Department of Trade and Industry, broadcasting was part of the Home Office, tourism was part of the Department for Employment and heritage was part of the Department of the Environment.[6] He also wrote that the system tended to favour the interests of the articulate and well-connected London-based arts lobby.[6]
Thus, when he became Prime Minister, Major said that he saw that the only way to give culture and sport the higher profile that he thought that they deserved was to establish a new department, under a minister of Cabinet rank, to bring together all aspects of the arts, sport and heritage.[7]
List of secretaries of state
Secretary of State for National Heritage (1992–1997)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997–2010)
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (2010 - 2012)
Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2012–2017)
Secretaries of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2017–2023)
Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2023–present)
Timeline of secretaries of state
See also
References
- ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Interview: David Mellor - A more mellow fellow? Mellor's not for". The Independent. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ The Transfer of Functions (National Heritage) Order 1992.
- ^ a b c Major, John (1999). John Major: The Autobiography. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 404. ISBN 0-06-019614-9. OCLC 42751073.
- ^ Major, John (1999). John Major: The Autobiography. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 405. ISBN 0-06-019614-9. OCLC 42751073.
- ^ "Change of name for DCMS". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
