Trading Fund
Encyclopedia
A trading fund is a UK executive agency
, government department
or part of a department, which has been established as such by means of a Trading Fund Order made under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973.
A trading fund can only be established with HM Treasury
agreement. One may only be set up where more than 50% of the trading fund's revenue will consist of receipts in respect of goods and services provided by the trading fund, and where the responsible Minister and the Treasury are satisfied that the setting up of the trading fund will lead to "improved efficiency and effectiveness in management of operations".
The significance of a trading fund is that it has standing authority under the 1973 Act to use its receipts to meet its outgoings. Some trading funds have, as their main function, the collection and supply of information to both public and private sectors; others do not.
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
, government department
Departments of the United Kingdom Government
Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Cabinet ministers who are usually called secretaries of state when they are in charge of Government departments called ministerial departments...
or part of a department, which has been established as such by means of a Trading Fund Order made under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973.
A trading fund can only be established with HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
agreement. One may only be set up where more than 50% of the trading fund's revenue will consist of receipts in respect of goods and services provided by the trading fund, and where the responsible Minister and the Treasury are satisfied that the setting up of the trading fund will lead to "improved efficiency and effectiveness in management of operations".
The significance of a trading fund is that it has standing authority under the 1973 Act to use its receipts to meet its outgoings. Some trading funds have, as their main function, the collection and supply of information to both public and private sectors; others do not.
Current
- Central Office of InformationCentral Office of InformationThe Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...
(COI) - 1 April 1991 - Companies HouseCompanies HouseCompanies House is the United Kingdom Registrar of Companies and is an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills . All forms of companies are incorporated and registered with Companies House and file specific details as required by the...
- 1 October 1991 - Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) - 1 July 2001
- Defence Support GroupDefence Support GroupThe Defence Support Group is an executive agency and wholly owned trading fund of the Ministry of Defence. It was established on 1 April 2008 by the merger of Defence Aviation Repair Agency and the Army Base Repair Organisation. It was created under The Defence Support Group Trading Fund Order...
(DSG) - 1 April 2008 - Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyDriver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyThe Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the organisation of the UK Government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers and a database of vehicles in Great Britain; its counterpart in Northern Ireland is the Driver & Vehicle Agency...
(DVLA) - 1 April 2004 - Driving Standards AgencyDriving Standards AgencyThe Driving Standards Agency is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport .DSA’s vision is 'Safe Driving for Life'. Its overall mission is to contribute to the public service agreement objective to achieve 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road...
(DSA) - 1 April 1997 - FCO ServicesFCO ServicesFCO Services is a trading fund of the UK Government. It is accountable to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. It provides secure support services to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office , other government departments and foreign governments and bodies with which the UK has...
- 1 April 2008 - Fire Service CollegeFire Service CollegeThe Fire Service College is responsible for providing leadership, management and advanced operational training courses for senior fire officers from the UK and foreign fire authorities. It is located at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England...
- 1 April 1992 - Government Procurement Service - 1 April 1991 (first known as the Buying Agency, then OGCbuying.solutions, then Buying Solutions)
- HM Land RegistryHM Land RegistryLand Registry is a non-ministerial government department and executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1862 to register the ownership of land and property in England and Wales...
- 1 April 1993 - Intellectual Property Office - 1 October 1991 (first known as the Patent Office)
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory AgencyMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory AgencyThe Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is the UK government agency which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe....
(MHRA) - 1 April 2003 - Meteorological Office - 1 April 1996
- Ordnance SurveyOrdnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
- 1 April 1999 - Queen Elizabeth II Conference CentreQueen Elizabeth II Conference CentreThe Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre is a conference centre in the City of Westminster, London. It is located in the heart of the city, a minute's walk from the Palace of Westminster, seat of the United Kingdom's Parliament...
- 1 April 1997 - Registers of ScotlandRegisters of ScotlandRegisters of Scotland is the Scottish Government agency responsible for compiling and maintaining records relating to property and other legal documents in Scotland....
- 1 April 1996 (ownership passed to the Scottish Government on 1 July 1999) - Royal Mint - 1 April 1975 (became holding entity of Royal Mint Ltd on 31 December 2009)
- United Kingdom Hydrographic OfficeUnited Kingdom Hydrographic OfficeThe United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
(UKHO) - 1 April 1996 - Vehicle and Operator Services AgencyVehicle and Operator Services AgencyVehicle and Operator Services Agency is a non-departmental public body granted Trading Fund status in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government.-History:...
(VOSA) - 1 April 2003
Defunct
- Army Base Repair OrganisationArmy Base Repair OrganisationThe Army Base Repair Organisation was an executive agency which reported to the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. It provided engineering, repair and re-manufacturing services to the British Armed Forces and also to the police and some local councils...
(ABRO) - 1 April 2002 (merged with DARA to form DSG on 1 April 2008) - Chessington Computer Centre - 1 April 1993 (privatised in July 1996)
- Defence Aviation Repair AgencyDefence Aviation Repair AgencyThe Defence Aviation Repair Agency, better known as DARA, was an executive agency of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, responsible for the maintenance and repair of Royal Air Force, Army and the Royal Navy's aircraft...
(DARA) - 1 April 2001 (merged with ABRO to form DSG on 1 April 2008) - Defence Evaluation and Research AgencyDefence Evaluation and Research AgencyThe Defence Evaluation and Research Agency was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence until July 2, 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation...
(DERA) - 1 April 1995 (split into Dstl and QinetiqQinetiQQinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
on 1 July 2001) - Defence Research AgencyDefence Research AgencyThe Defence Research Agency , was an executive agency of the UK Ministry of Defence from April 1991 until April 1995. At the time the DRA was Britain's largest science and technology organisation...
(DRA) - 1 April 1993 (became part of DERA on 1 April 1995) - Forensic Science ServiceForensic Science ServiceThe Forensic Science Service is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.-History:...
- 1 April 1999 (became government-owned company in December 2005) - HM Stationery Office (HMSO) - 1 April 1980 (privatised as The Stationery OfficeThe Stationery OfficeThe Stationery Office is a British publishing company that was created in 1996 when the publishing arm of Her Majesty's Stationery Office was privatised. TSO is the official publisher and the distributor for legislation, command and house papers, select committee reports, Hansard, and the London,...
in September 1996) - Medicines Control Agency - 1 April 1993 (merged with Medical Devices Agency to form MHRA on 1 April 2003)
- NHS Estates - 1 April 1999 (abolished in September 2005)
- Vehicle Inspectorate - 1 April 1991 (merged with Traffic Area Network to form VOSA on 1 April 2003)
Hong Kong
- Hongkong PostHongkong PostHongkong Post is a department under the Government of Hong Kong responsible for postal services, though operated as a Trading Fund. Founded in 1841, it was known as Postal Department or Post Office before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997...
(Royal Hongkong Post) - Electrical and Mechanical Services DepartmentElectrical and Mechanical Services DepartmentThe Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is responsible for a wide range of services and policy in Hong Kong. The department is under the Development Bureau and the current Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services is Stephen Chan....
- Office of the Telecommunications AuthorityOffice of the Telecommunications AuthorityOffice of the Telecommunications Authority or OFTA is the executive arm of the Telecommunications Authority in Hong Kong. It is the body responsible for telecommunications regulation , antitrust enforcement and allocation of the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum Office of...
(OFTA) - Companies Registry
- The Land Registry
- Sewage Services Trading Fund (1994–1997)