Thesecretary of state for social services was a position in the UK cabinet with responsibility for theDepartment of Health and Social Security between 1968 and 1988. Although the department was titled 'Department of Health and Social Security', the title of the cabinet minister with responsibility for the department was 'secretary of state for social services'.[1][2]
It was created by anOrder in Council which came into operation on 1 November 1968. It transferred the functions of the Minister of Health and theMinister of Social Security to the new Secretary of State, and dissolved those respective ministries.[3]
It continued until 25 July 1988 when theDepartment of Health and theDepartment of Social Security were created.[4]
Though when created the position had responsibility for theNational Health Service throughoutEngland and Wales, responsibility for theNHS in Wales was transferred to thesecretary of state for Wales in 1969.
Colour key (for political parties):
Labour Conservative
| Secretary of State | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Richard Crossman | 1 November 1968 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | Wilson II | |
_Crop_(cropped).jpg) | Keith Joseph | 20 June 1970 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | Heath | |
.jpg) | Barbara Castle | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | Wilson III | |
| Wilson IV | ||||||
 | David Ennals | 8 April 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Callaghan | |
| Patrick Jenkin[5] | 5 May 1979 | 13 September 1981 | Conservative | Thatcher I | ||
 | Norman Fowler[6] | 14 September 1981 | 13 June 1987 | Conservative | Thatcher II | |
 | John Moore[7] | 13 June 1987 | 24 July 1988 | Conservative | Thatcher III | |
| Post split into theSecretary of State for Social Security and theSecretary of State for Health in 1988. | ||||||
The House will notice that my title is wider than that of the proposed new Department. This is in recognition of the fact, as the Prime Minister mentioned in the House last week, that I have been asked to continue my coordination of the whole range of social services, in addition to my responsibility for the new Department.
Following the report of the Committee on the Home Civil Service (Fulton Committee), the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) was created in November 1968. It was formed by the merger of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Security under a Secretary of State for Social Services. The Secretary of State was assisted by two ministers of state responsible for health and social security respectively; in 1976 a Minister of Social Security of Cabinet rank was appointed within the department.
