Catalogue description Records of the Ministry of Transport and successors, Finance and Accounting Divisions

Ministry of Transport and successors, Finance and Accounting Divisions, 1919-1976

A Finance Department was set up in 1919 under a director general of finance and statistics, later designated principal finance officer. In September 1922 the finance officer became responsible to the permanent secretary, who then became accounting officer.

The department comprised four branches: administrative; accounts; rates, fares and charges; and statistics. The Accounts Branch was responsible for the supervision of accounts of transport undertakings and financial investigation in addition to normal departmental accounting duties; it also included a separate section responsible for financial work in connection with the Roads Department.

The Rates Branch was concerned with financial aspects of the rates, fares and charges of transport undertakings, particularly in connection with the work of the Rates Advisory Committee and the Railway Rates Tribunal. In 1937 this branch was transferred to the Secretarial Division.

The Statistics Branch was responsible for returns from transport undertakings relating to traffic, tonnage of goods, operation and equipment, and also carried out statistical work for the Roads Department and the Electricity Commission. In 1940 area finance offices were established to work alongside the various regional organisations of the ministry.

On the formation of the Ministry of War Transport in 1941, separate finance divisions were retained for shipping and inland transport. The former consisting of a Finance Division (Shipping) and an Accountant General's Department; the latter of a Finance Division (Inland Transport), which was also responsible for vote accounting, and the Rates and Charges Division.

In 1942 the two divisions dealing with shipping were merged as a Finance and Accounts (Shipping) Division, and by 1945 a single Finance Division emerged under a director of finance. With the creation of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in 1953 the director of finance assumed responsibility for a Finance (Civil Aviation, Ground Services) Division, a Finance General Division, dealing with inland transport and shipping, and an Accounts Division.

In 1962, the Finance,Transport and Shipping (FTS) Division was created under a departmental reorganisation of the Finance and Accounts Group. It originally had responsibility for railways, shipping, shipbuilding, canals, ports, road transport and statutory undertakings, including the nationalised transport undertakings. In 1964 following a joint decision by the British and French Governments to go ahead with a rail Channel Tunnel project, the Division aquired responsibility for the financing involved with it.

In 1965, responsibility for merchant shipping and shipbuilding finance was transferred to the Board of Trade following a Government reorganisation. In 1967 responsibility for railways and canals was transferred to the newly created Finance, Nationalised Industries and Investment Division. At the same time, the Division aquired responsibility for safety.

Under a further Government reorganisation in 1969, the remaining shipping functions were transferred to the Board of Trade, financing of the Channel Tunnel was transferred to the Channel Tunnel Administrative Division and the Division was renamed Finance, Transport Services. The Division was dissolved in 1971 as a result of a departmental reorganisation by the Ministry of Transport's successor, the Department of the Environment.

Department of Transport, 1976-1997

In 1976, the finance functions relevant to transport were transferred from the Department of the Environment to the newly formed Department of Transport. In August 1994, these became part of the department's Central Services.

In 1997, the responsibilities of the Department of Transport were transferred to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.