Ministry of Fuel and Power
Pre-WWII: Government responsibilities for sources of electricity (power) and energy were split between several government departments. After the outbreak of war, steps were taken to concentrate these responsibilities into one department. This was desirable if national priorities with regard to allocation and distribution were to be met, as difficulties over coal supplies were pronounced.
1941 In September the Board of Trade took over, from the Ministry of War Transport, controls relating to electricity. The Board of Trade already administered government controls over the gas industry. The coal mining and petroleum industries were controlled by the Mines Department and the Petroleum Department respectively; both these bodies were nominally under the Board of Trade. From the autumn of 1941, fuel and power controllers co-ordinated the activities of the representatives of these Departments at regional level.
1942 The Ministry of Fuel and Power was created on 11th June to hold all functions relating to the fuel and power industries transferred from the Board of Trade. It took charge of coal production, allocation of fuel supplies, control of energy prices and petrol rationing. These had previously been dealt with by the Secretary for Mines and in the case of petroleum since 1940 by the Secretary for Petroleum. [1]
The wartime work of the Ministry was mainly of an executive nature. It included responsibility for coal production, the allocation of solid fuel supplies, petrol rationing and control over prices of gas, electricity and coal. The Ministry was also responsible for the health, safety and training of workers in or about mines and quarries and initiated research in these fields. It also continued to supervise the examination of colliery officials in certain grades and the testing and approval of types of mining apparatus.
Post-WWII: Under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, the Electricity Act 1947 and the Gas Act 1948, the Ministry acquired new responsibilities which largely involved advising and interpreting government policy to the newly created boards and other allied fuel and power industries. The Minister became responsible for the appointment and determination of tenure of the boards of the nationalised industries, was empowered to control capital investment programmes and generally to supervise schemes of research and development. The peculiar difficulties of the coal industry led to the retention of stricter controls in matters of production, pricing, modernisation, wage negotiations and recruitment. These functions were exercised partly through largely autonomous divisions within the Ministry and partly by virtue of its statutory powers in relation to the National Coal Board, the Electricity Council, the Central Electricity Generating Board and area electricity boards, the Gas Council and area gas boards.
1946 Further responsibilities relating to the control of petroleum and petroleum products were transferred from the Ministry of Supply.
1950 Petrol rationing ended
1957 renamed as The Ministry of Power to deal with issues concerning energy.