Government reshuffle creates Department for Energy and Climate Change
Fri 10 October 2008
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A wide-ranging Government reshuffle has created a new Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to be led by Ed Miliband. Geoff Hoon is the new Secretary of State for Transport and Lord Adonis also joins the Department as Minister of State. Peter Mandelson returns to Westminster as the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
The new DECC brings together much of the Climate Change Group, previously housed within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the Energy Group from BERR. The new department will be responsible for overseeing progress on the Climate Change Bill which sets the UK a target to achieve carbon dioxide emissions reductions of 80% by 2050.
The creation of the new department was generally welcomed by environment groups although some expressed concern about the splitting of climate change from other environmental priorities which remain with Defra.
The new Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon has held a number of Cabinet positions, including Secretary of State for Defence and Leader of the House of Commons. He has also worked as Minister for Europe, as a minister in the Lord Chancellor's Department and had a spell at the Foreign Office as Minister of State for Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa.
Lord Andrew Adonis becomes the new Minister of State for Transport following his move from a ministerial position in the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Earlier he worked as adviser to Tony Blair on education and public services policy and as Head of the No 10 Policy Unit, joining in 1998 after a career as an academic and journalist. Under the new structure, Lord Adonis takes the lead responsibility for climate change issues relating to transport.
Jim Fitzpatrick is the only remaining transport minister from prior to the reshuffle.
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