Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in the British Treasury, ranked below the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. It ranks at Parliamentary Secretary level and is not a Cabinet office. Unlike the other posts of Secretary in to the Treasury, it is only used occasionally, normally when the post of Paymaster General is allocated to a Minister outside the Treasury.

The office was reinstated in June 2007, when Angela Eagle was appointed Exchequer Secretary after Tessa Jowell had been appointed Paymaster General and Olympic Minister within the Cabinet Office. The previous Exchequer Secretary was Phillip Oppenheim, who held the post from 23 July 1996 to 2 May 1997, when he lost his seat in the general election that brought Tony Blair to power. Angela Eagle was replaced by Kitty Ussher in the June 2009 reshuffle, with Jowell continuing in the Paymaster General role. Ussher resigned on 17 June 2009 and was immediately replaced by Sarah McCarthy-Fry. Following the 2010 general election, the post was taken by Conservative MP David Gauke. In May 2015, Conservative MP Damian Hinds assumed the office.

Responsibilities

HM Treasury

• Enterprise and productivity including small business taxation and support to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on economic reform
• Competition and better regulation
• Science, innovation and skills policy, including implementation of the 10-year science and innovation strategy and the R&D tax credit
• Regional economic policy
• Urban regeneration and social exclusion including housing, planning and planning gain supplement;
• Environmental issues including taxation of transport, international Climate Change issues including global carbon trading and EU ETS, and Energy Issues
• Taxation of oil
• Excise duties and gambling, including excise fraud and law enforcement
• Public-private partnerships including Private Finance Initiative, and Partnerships UK
• Ministerial responsibility for the Office for National Statistics, the Royal Mint and Departmental Minister for HM Treasury Group
• Support to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on public spending issues including long-term challenges in the run up to the Comprehensive Spending Review and selected Cabinet Committees
• Assist where necessary on European issues
• Working with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on the Finance Bill

Responsibility for procurement policy and the former Office of Government Commerce was transferred to the Cabinet Office in 2011.

Exchequer Secretaries to the Treasury

• 23 July 1996 – 2 May 1997 Phillip Oppenheim
• 2 May 1997 – 28 June 2007 Post Vacant
• 29 June 2007 – 9 June 2009 Angela Eagle
• 9 June 2009 – 17 June 2009 Kitty Ussher
• 17 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 Sarah McCarthy-Fry
• 13 May 2010 – 15 July 2014 David Gauke
• 15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015 Priti Patel
• 12 May 2015 – Present Damian Hinds

See also

• Secretary to the Treasury