Minister of State for Health (UK)

The Minister of State for Health is a mid-level position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the British government. It is currently held by Edward Argar MP who took the office on 10 September 2019.[1] The minister often deputises for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care alongside the Minister of State for Social Care.[2]

Minister of State for Health
Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Incumbent Edward Argar MP since 10 September 2019
Department of Health and Social Care
Style	Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	1970
First holder	Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare
Website	https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--59

The office was created in 1970 by the incoming Heath ministry as a junior minister in the Health Department.

Historically, the role was known as Minister of State for Health and Social Security as part of the Department of Health and Social Security.

Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for the following:[3]

• COVID-19:
  • NHS resilience (acute capacity)
  • supply (ventilators)
• NHS operational performance
• Long Term Plan Bill
• finance, efficiency and commercial
• NHS capital, land and estates
• transformation
• NHS England mandate
• devolved administrations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories
• secondary legislation
• departmental management
• EU future relationship and trade
• sponsorship of:
  • NHSE
  • NHSI

List of Ministers of State for Health

Name		Portrait	Took office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
Role created out of the Department of Health and Social Security
Minister of State for Health and Social Security
	Morys Bruce 4th Baron Aberdare		23 June 1970	8 January 1974	Conservative		Edward Heath (l)
	Brian O'Malley MP for Rotherham		8 March 1974	6 April 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson (lll) + (lV)
	David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport		26 July 1974	10 September 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson (lll) + (lV)
	Stan Orme MP for Salford West		8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan (l)
	Roland Moyle MP for Lewisham East		10 September 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan (l)
Minister of State for Health
	Gerard Vaughan MP for Reading South		7 May 1979	5 March 1982	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (l)
	Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire		5 March 1982	2 September 1985	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (l) + (ll)
	Barney Hayhoe MP for Brentford and Isleworth		2 September 1985	10 September 1986	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (ll)
	Tony Newton MP for Braintree		10 September 1986	25 July 1988	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (ll) + (lll)
	David Mellor MP for Putney		25 July 1988	27 October 1989	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (lll)
	Anthony Trafford Baron Trafford		29 July 1989	16 September 1989	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (lll)
	Virginia Bottomley MP for South West Surrey		28 October 1989	10 April 1992	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (lll) John Major (l)
	Gerry Malone MP for Winchester		20 July 1994	May 1997	Conservative		John Major (ll)
	Brian Mawhinney MP for Peterborough		14 April 1992	20 July 1994	Conservative		John Major (ll)
Minister of State for Health Services
	Alan Milburn MP for Darlington		May 1997	30 December 1998	Labour		Tony Blair (l)
	John Denham MP for Southampton Itchen		30 December 1998	11 June 2001	Labour		Tony Blair (l)
	Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch		June 2001	June 2003	Labour		Tony Blair (ll)
	Rosie Winterton MP for Doncaster Central		June 2003	May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair (ll)
	John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness		June 2003	May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair (ll)
Minister of State for Health
	Jane Kennedy MP for Liverpool Wavertree		6 May 2005	8 May 2006	Labour		Tony Blair (lll)
	Andy Burnham MP for Leigh, Greater Manchester		8 May 2006	28 June 2007	Labour		Tony Blair (lll)
	Ben Bradshaw MP for Exeter		28 June 2007	5 June 2009	Labour		Gordon Brown (l)
	Mike O'Brien MP for North Warwickshire		8 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour		Gordon Brown (l)
	Philip Dunne MP for Ludlow		15 July 2016	9 January 2018	Conservative		Theresa May (I) + (II)
	Stephen Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire		9 January 2018	16 November 2018	Conservative		Theresa May (II)
	Stephen Hammond MP for Wimbledon		16 November 2018	25 July 2019	Conservative		Theresa May (II) Boris Johnson (l)
	Chris Skidmore MP for Kingswood		24 July 2019	10 September 2019	Conservative		Boris Johnson (l)
	Edward Argar MP for Charnwood		10 September 2019	Incumbent	Conservative		Boris Johnson (l) + (ll)

See also

• Health minister

References

1. "Minister of State (Minister for Health) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
2. "Department of Health and Social Care". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
3. "Minister of State (Minister for Health) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-23.