This Order in Council, made under the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975, transfers to the Minister for the Civil Service ( “the Minister”) the functions of the Secretary of State for Education and Science under sections 2 and 3 of, and Schedules 1 and 3 to, the Science and Technology Act 1965, under section 1(1) of the Agricultural Research etc. (Pensions) Act 1961 and under the Royal Charters of the five named Research Councils.

Where functions are transferred to the Minister, there are also transferred to him all property, rights and liabilities to which the Secretary of State for Education and Science is entitled or subject in connection with those functions.

This Order further provides that the Minister may exercise concurrently with the Secretary of State the powers conferred by section 1(1)(a) of the Education Act 1986 (payment of grant to the Royal Academy of Engineering) and section 213(1) of the Education Reform Act 1988 and regulations 2, 3, 4, 14, 17 and 18 of the Education (Grant) Regulations 1990 (payment of grant to bodies whose object or main object is the promotion of learning or research).

The Order further provides that the functions conferred upon certain named Ministers of the Crown under section 5(1)(b) of the Science and Technology Act 1965 may be exercised concurrently by the Minister and the Secretary of State.

Functions which are transferred to, or become exercisable concurrently by, the Minister may also be exercised by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

As a consequence of the transfer of functions to the Minister, the Secretary of State for Education and Science is renamed the Secretary of State for Education.