Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)

Department of Trade and Industry
Logo of the DTI
Abbreviation	DTI
Formation	1970
Extinction	June 2007
Legal status	Government department
Purpose/focus	Economy of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	Westminster
Region served	UK

The Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was replaced with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 June 2007.^[1][2]

History

The department was first formed in 1970 with the merger of the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Technology, creating a new cabinet post of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The new department also took over the Department of Employment's former responsibilities for monopolies and mergers. In January 1974, the department's responsibilities for energy production were transferred to a newly created Department of Energy. On 5 March that year, following a Labour Party victory in the February 1974 general election, the department was split into the Department of Trade, the Department of Industry and the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection.^[3]

Reformation

In 1983 the departments of Trade and Industry were reunited. The Department of Energy was re-merged back into the DTI in 1992, but various media-related functions transferred to the Department for National Heritage. Until it was succeeded in June 2007 the DTI continued to set the energy policy of the United Kingdom.^[4]

After the 2005 general election the DTI was renamed to the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry,^[5] but the name reverted to Department of Trade and Industry less than a week later,^[6] after widespread derision, including some from the Confederation of British Industry, because the abbreviation for the new department would have been "Penis".

Structure

The DTI had a wide range of responsibilities. There were ultimately nine main areas covered by the DTI:

• Company Law
• Trade
• Business Growth
• Innovation
• Employment Law
• Regional Economic Development
• Energy
• Science
• Consumer Law.

Emergent technology

From 1999 to 2005 it led the national E-Commerce Awards with InterForum, a not for profit membership organisation that helped British businesses to trade electronically. This aimed to encourage Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises to develop their business through the use of E-Commerce technologies.

Corporate policing

It also had responsibility for investigating misconduct by company directors, in which role Private Eye repeatedly lampooned it as "the Department of Timidity and Inaction".

See also

• Avanti (project)
• Energy in the United Kingdom
• Restricted Enforcement Unit
• United Kingdom budget
• Business Link - set up by the DTI in 1993
• UK Trade & Investment - set up in 1999
• Special Representative for International Trade and Investment

References

1. ^ GNN news release on creation of BERR
2. ^ BIS Website
3. ^ The National Archives, National Digital Archive of Datasets. Department details: Department of Trade and Industry
4. ^ BERR history page
5. ^ BBC article on renaming to DPEI
6. ^ BBC article on reversion of name change

External links

• Friends of the Action Group
• DTI e-commerce awards

Video clips

• Enterprise Initiative