The IfG Ministers Database provides information on all ministers in UK governments since Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979. The database provides information on ministers’ role, department, rank and dates in office.
You can look up individual ministers, specific ministerial roles, the entire government on a specific date or all those who left and entered government between two dates.
This repository contains the underlying data as well as related scripts.
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The database consists of the following tables:
Links person and post records - one record per appointment.
start_date is always specified; end_date is null for ongoing appointments.
Each appointment timespan is split into one or more appointment_characteristics records.
The appointment_characteristics table records someone's cabinet_status - whether they were Full cabinet, Attends Cabinet, Attends cabinet when ministerial responsibilities are on the agenda, or Non-cabinet - as well as whether someone was doing a role in an acting capacity or was on leave from a role for a given time period.
start_date is always specified; end_date is null for ongoing appointments.
Contains the dates of all general elections since 1979 and the day each prime minister completed their first ministerial line-up upon taking office.
Contains one record for each organisation (generally a government department) at which a minister has been based.
start_date is always specified; end_date is null for ongoing appointments.
short_name is the department's initialism - note that these can be repeated.
Links predecessor and successor organisations.
type is the IfG's determination of the link - one of Merger, Demerger, Name change, Transfer of functions.
Links have an associated date range. link_start_date is the date the change was announced. link_end_date is the final date that a minister moved from the predecessor organisation to the successor organisation as part of the change. link_start_date and link_end_date are always specified.
Contains basic biographical details of people who have served as ministers.
Split into multiple records where someone's biographical details (name, gender) have changed.
start_date and end_date are only present where they are needed to indicate the start/end of a set of characteristics - null otherwise.
Contains one record for each post that has existed at each organisation.
rank_equivalence is the IfG's determination of a post's rank - one of PM, DPM, SoS, MoS, PUSS, Parl. lead, Parl..
Links posts that are related to one another.
Relationships are IfG-derived and are principally based on post names, rather than a deeper analysis of ministerial responsibilities.
Records periods of parliamentary representation.
start_date is always specified; end_date is null for ongoing periods of representation.
Each representation timespan is split into one or more representation_characteristics records.
start_date is always specified; end_date is null for ongoing periods of representation.
The sql directory contains scripts that power the IfG Ministers Database pages.
Subdirectories contains scripts relating to the following pages:
1_appointments_held_by_person: Look up a minister page2_persons_holding_appointment: Look up a ministerial role page3_appointments_at_date: View entire government page4_appointments_exits_between_dates: View ministerial appointments and exits page
In each case, the scripts most likely to be of use are those which populate the data tables on each page. Each is available in two forms: one which doesn't merge appointments spanning departmental restructures (...unmerged.sql) and one that does (...merged.sql). These scripts are:
1_table_data_unmerged.sql,1_table_data_merged.sql,2_table_data_unmerged.sql,2_table_data_merged.sql,3_table_data_unmerged.sql,3_table_data_merged.sql,4_table_data_unmerged.sql,4_table_data_merged.sql,
Further details on sourcing, limitations and judgements made in creating the database can be found on the IfG Ministers Database About the database and How to use the database pages.
If you spot any errors in or problems with the database, or have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at [email protected].
For any media queries about the database, please get in touch with our press office: [email protected].