DTI abolished in reshuffle
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has abolished the DTI and replaced it with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The new department's primary role will be ‘to lead work to create the conditions for business success, through competitive and flexible markets that create value for business, consumers and employees; and working across Government and the regions to raise levels of productivity’.
The new department – which will be headed by ex Works and Pensions minister John Hutton (pictured) – takes over responsibilities for productivity, business relations, energy, competition and consumer policy, corporate law and employment regulation and will have joint responsibility with the Department for International Development on trade policy, and with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on trade promotion.
Meanwhile, another new department – Innovation, Universities and Skills – has been formed from elements of the old DTI and the Department for Education and Skills. This will be run by John Denham, previously chairman of the House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee.
