 | |
 | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 19 October 1970 (1970-10-19) |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Dissolved | 28 June 2007 (2007-06-28) |
| Superseding agencies | |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Victoria Street, London |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Website | The DTI website atthe National Archives |
TheDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) was aUnited Kingdom government department formed on 19 October 1970. It was replaced with the creation of theDepartment for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and theDepartment for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 June 2007.[1][2]
The department was formed on 19 October 1970[3] through the merger of theBoard of Trade and theMinistry of Technology, creating a new cabinet post ofSecretary of State for Trade and Industry. Additionally, the department also took over theDepartment of Employment's former responsibilities for monopolies and mergers. However, in January 1974, the department's responsibilities for energy production were transferred to a newly createdDepartment of Energy. On 5 March that year, following aLabour Party victory in the February 1974general election, the department was split into theDepartment of Trade, theDepartment of Industry and theDepartment of Prices and Consumer Protection.[4]
The departments of Trade and Industry were reunited in 1983. The Department of Energy was re-merged back into the DTI in 1992, but various media-related functions transferred to theDepartment of National Heritage. Until it was succeeded in June 2007 the DTI continued to set theenergy policy of the United Kingdom.[5]
After the2005 general election the DTI was renamed to theDepartment for Productivity, Energy and Industry,[6] but the name reverted toDepartment of Trade and Industry less than a week later,[7] after widespread derision, including some from theConfederation of British Industry.[8]
In 2007, part of DTI merged into the newDepartment for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), while most of it was renamed as theDepartment for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR); part of that would become theDepartment of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in 2008. The responsibilities which had gone to DIUS largely returned in 2009 with a re-merger to create theDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), though in 2016 theDepartment for International Trade (DIT) was split off. Energy returned in 2017 with the creation of theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); BEIS lasted until 2023 when this department was again split and mixed with other responsibilities, into theDepartment for Business and Trade (DBT), theDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and theDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The DTI had a wide range of responsibilities. There were ultimately nine main areas covered by the DTI:
It also had responsibility for investigating misconduct by company directors, in which rolePrivate Eye repeatedly lampooned it as "the Department of Timidity and Inaction".[9]
From 1999 to 2005 it led the national E-Commerce Awards with InterForum, anot for profit membership organisation which helped British businesses to trade electronically. This aimed to encouragesmall and medium-sized enterprises to develop their businesses through the use of E-commerce technologies.
A series of guidance documents concerned with business purchasing operations andsupply chain management was published in 1991.[10]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Small firms' Merit Award for Research and Technology (SMART) was a discretionary business grant scheme run by the DTI for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s. The award was made to companies winning an annual competition (organised regionally) based on a judgement of the technical and market viability of research ortechnology development proposals; in essence the award representedseed-corn funding for innovative developments that had some market potential.
The scheme was generally considered to be very successful. In 2002 the scheme was changed from a competition to an award to any applicant who met minimum criteria. This led to several regions exhausting their budget. In 2005 the scheme was shut down and replaced with theGrant for Research and Development which was again a regional competition.
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) will lead work to create the conditions for business success through competitive and flexible markets that create value for businesses, consumers and employees. It will work across Government and with the regions to raise levels of UK productivity, promoting the creation and growth of business.
{{cite web}}:Cite uses generic title (help)To mark the start of Labour's third term in power, the DTI is no more, replaced by the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry, or DPEI for short.
New department head Alan Johnson persuaded Tony Blair to change the name back following derision from business leaders and unions.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
