Ministers
- The Right Honourable Iain Duncan Smith MP – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- The Right Honourable Chris Grayling MP – Minister for Employment
- Steve Webb MP - Minister for Pensions
- Maria Miller MP - Minister for Disabled People
- Lord Freud - Minister for Welfare Reform
The Right Honourable Iain Duncan Smith MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Responsibilities
The Secretary of State has overall departmental responsibility.
Biography
Iain Duncan Smith was appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in May 2010 as part of the Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Government.
He was born in Edinburgh and before entering politics served in the military with the Scots Guards before leaving to join General Electric.
He was first elected as MP for Chingford and Woodford Green in the 1992 General Election and served as Leader of the Conservative Party between September 2001 and November 2003.
In 2004, he founded the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) to help tackle poverty and remained chairman of the organisation until taking up the post of Secretary of State.
The Right Honourable Chris Grayling MP
Minister for Employment
Responsibilities
- Employment and related benefits
- The Work Programme
- Labour market and the economy
- Jobcentre Plus
- Skills
- Health and Safety Executive
Biography
Chris Grayling has been MP for Epsom and Ewell since 2001 and lives in the constituency with his wife Sue and their two children.
Between 2003 and 2009, Chris held a number of Shadow frontbench posts including Shadow Higher and Further Education Minister, Shadow Leader of the House, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Shadow Home Secretary. Following the formation of the coalition government in May 2010, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.
Born in 1962, Chris grew up in Buckinghamshire. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe before going to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, to read history. After university, he joined the BBC's News Training Scheme, and worked as a producer on BBC News and Channel 4's programme Business Daily.
After a few years in television production, he decided to move to the business side of the media industry, and ran a number of small and medium-sized production businesses before moving to become a director in the Employee Communication practice at international communications firm Burson Marsteller. He ended his time there as the firm's European Marketing Director.
Chris first became active in local politics when living in Wimbledon, South London, and became both an officer in the Wimbledon Conservative Association and a Conservative councillor on the London Borough of Merton.
Steve Webb MP
Minister for Pensions
Responsibilities
- Pensions and related benefits
- Pensions reform
- The Pension, Disability and Carers Service
- Pensions Regulator
- Pension Protection Fund
- Financial Assistance Scheme
- Pensions Advisory Service and Ombudsman
- Financial inclusion
- Social Fund
Biography
In 1997 Steve Webb became the Liberal Democrat MP for Northavon. He lives in the constituency with his wife and two children.
Before being elected, Steve studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Hertford College, Oxford. He worked as an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies from 1986 to 1995 before being appointed Professor of Social Policy at Bath University.
Steve Webb’s parliamentary responsibilities have included being the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson on Work and Pensions between 1999-2005. He also worked as the Lib Dem Spokesman on Health (2005), Chair of the Liberal Democrat Manifesto Group (2006), Spokesman on the Environment, Energy, Food and Rural Affairs (2007) and Spokesman on Energy and Climate Change (2008). In 2009 he returned to his previous role as lead Spokesperson on Work and Pensions issues, and became Minister of State for Pensions in May 2010 under the new coalition government.
Aside from his parliamentary duties, Steve is actively involved in the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship and cites his hobbies as internet/computing, music, and being an armchair supporter of West Bromwich Albion.
Maria Miller MP
Minister for Disabled People
Responsibilities
- Disability and carers benefits
- Specialist disability employment
- Office for Disability Issues
- Child poverty
- Families
- Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
- Remploy
- Independent Living Fund
Biography
Maria Miller has been Member of Parliament for Basingstoke since the 2005 General Election. She is married to Iain Miller, and they have one daughter and two sons.
Before entering Parliament, Maria was a director of Grey Advertising and also Rowland Saatchi. Prior to that Maria worked for the oil company Texaco in business development and marketing.
On becoming a Member of Parliament Maria was appointed to the Trade and Industry Select Committee. She became Shadow Minister for Education in December 2005 then Shadow Minister for Family Welfare in the Department for Work and Pensions in November 2006. Maria moved back to the Education team as Shadow Minister for the Family in July 2007 and remained in post until the 2010 General Election.
Lord Freud
Minister for Welfare Reform
Responsibilities
- Welfare reform and related benefits
- Fraud and error
- Housing support – including Housing Benefit and Support for Mortgage Interest
- Customer Information – data sharing and information security
Biography
David Freud is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lords) for the Department for Work and Pensions.
He was appointed the shadow Minister for Welfare Reform in February 2009 and was also a member of the Economic Recovery Council advising the Conservative leader, David Cameron from February 2009 to May 2010.
Between January 2008 and February 2009 he acted as adviser on welfare reform to the UK Government. This followed publication of his independent report in March 2007 – “Reducing Dependency, Increasing Opportunity” on the Welfare to Work system.
He was the CEO of The Portland Trust in 2005-2008 and remains a trustee and director of the not-for-profit foundation, whose mission is to encourage peace and stability between Israelis and Palestinians through economic means.
He was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking for UBS and Global Head of Transport/Leisure/Business Services, retiring in 2003. He was responsible for two complex restructurings – Nats in 2003 and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 1998. He conducted deals in 19 countries, including floats of Deutsche Post, Autostrade, Eurotunnel, Qantas, easyJet and the Hong Kong metro.
His book “Freud in the City” was published in May 2006 as an insider’s account of what really happened in the City of London through the financial revolution of the late twentieth century.
Prior to his banking career, he was a journalist at the Financial Times for eight years, four of which were spent writing the Lex column.
How to contact ministers
Or write to them at:
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9DA
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