Catalogue description Records of the Economic Co-ordination Division and successors

When the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) was first set up this division was divided into four distinct units: Growth, Incomes and Prices Policy; Public Expenditure, External Relations and Special Duties. Public Expenditure was charged with very long-term planning, economic research and public expenditure aspects of the National Plan. External Relations originally comprised three branches which dealt with such matters as the European Economic Community (EEC), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member countries, overseas aid and the monitoring of economic developments in leading industrial countries. A fourth branch was later added which was concerned with defence expenditure.

By 1965-1966 the division was effectively split between home and overseas responsibilities, Special Duties having disappeared. In April 1966 the Ministry of Labour, the Board of Trade, and also the Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, of Transport, of Works and of Power took over responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the prices and incomes policy, the DEA retaining general oversight and co-ordination of the policy.

In 1967-1968 the DEA's departmental structure had altered considerably. In 1967 the division with home responsibilities merged with the Industrial Division to form the Industrial, Prices and Incomes Department. The divisional responsibilities for overseas economic policy and relations with industry in preparation for Britain's entry into the European Economic Community were transferred to the Board of Trade in August 1967. Renamed External Policies in 1967, the department survived until 1968 as the last vestige of the original DEA department with responsibility for briefing the DEA ministers on external economic affairs and their implications for the UK economy. In November 1968 the original Public Expenditure divisional functions were split between the Economic Group Department and the Industrial Group.

Departmental responsibility for prices and incomes policy was taken over in April 1968 by the first Secretary of State and Secretary of State for the newly appointed Department of Employment and Productivity.