Personnel Flags of the Government (Part 2)

Continuing from Part One the next ministerial department is:

Department for International Trade

It is within this department that the Board of Trade sits and the Board of Trade has its own maritime ensign.  Although I am not sure if it is currently in use at sea I have noticed from pictures on Twitter that this flag is still used at various other department functions and I have read a news article that stated that the flag is flown from warships if the President of the Board is embarked.

Ensign of the Board of Trade

 The Department for International Trade is one of those departments that has its own insignia and the badge of the Board of Trade seems to be a part of it, I have included it in the banners for continuity.

Flag of the Secretary of State for International Trade & President of the Board of Trade

 There are currently five junior ministers within the department although two of them appear to be in relation to the current Secretary of State's twin role as Minister for Women & Equalities (which doesn't seem to have its own department)

1st Minister of State with no specific title

2nd Minister of State with no specific title

Minister for Investment

Minister for Equalities

Minister for Women

Department for Education

The insignia I thought for the Department of Education is a torch representing enlightenment on an open book which represents learning and manifestation. It is flanked by the national plants of the UK.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Education

There are currently  five junior ministers under the Education Secretary of State, two ministers of state and three parliamentary under secretaries

Minister for Universities

Minister for School Standards

Minister for Children and Families

Minster for Apprenticeships & Skills

Minister for the School System

Department for Work and Pensions 

I admit I found it difficult to think of appropriate symbolism for this but eventually settled on a book with a torch with a snake around it supported by the Royal Supporters. The book is closed which contrasts with an open book as a closed book is traditionally associated with counsel and can hence be representative of careers advice. The department mandate also includes apprenticeships which is a form of training so hence the torch of enlightenment. The Department is also responsible for Health & Safety at Work legislation and this is reflected by the snake which is in effect turning the torch into a Rod of Asclepius

Flag of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

there are five junior ministers in this department under the Secretary of State all of whom have a title

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work

Minister for Employment

Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion

Minister for Welfare Delivery

Minister for Work and Pensions

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

The badge for this department features a flaming Grecian brazier representing the food part of the title. The rural element is represented by a heraldic crown usually only found in the heraldry of Scottish unitary authorities and that is the Wheat Sheaf Crown. The Wheat Sheaf Crown is used by Scottish councils in a similar manner as to how English and other European unitary authorities might use a mural coronet. I initially wanted to use a simple wheat sheaf, but being placed above the brazier thought it might look like it was catching fire! So instead decided to use this Scottish heraldic device instead. The wreath of oak leaves represents the environment. Trees being a prominent symbol of the environment and being used in the logos of  bodies like the environment Agency in general and oak being used specifically by organisations like the National Trust.

Flag of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

There are currently four junior ministers in this department under the Secretary of State, with one also being a minister in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Minister for the Pacific & the Environment

Minister for Rural Affairs & Bio Security

1st Parliamentary Under Secretary with no title

2nd Parliamentary Under Secretary with no title

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

The badge for this department is a cross design of the floral emblems of the UK entwined. I remember seeing this design on an old coin probably a Victorian shilling. Around this is a chain which along with the floral emblems represents local communities being linked together on a national scale. Unlike the other emblems which are topped with a royal crown this is topped with a mural coronet, which is reflective of a city's wall in ancient times and is generally used by unitary authorities hence representing local government and housing.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

There are only three junior ministers under the Secretary of State for this department.

Minister for Housing

Minister of State with no specific title

Minister for Local Government and Homelessness

Department for Transport

Like the Department for International Trade the Department of Transport had its own maritime ensign which featured a railway wheel and anchor:

Ensign of the Ministry of Transport

I am not sure if this flag is used at all in any capacity, however its badge makes a good base for the department's insignia, although I added a pair of wings so that land, sea and air transport is represented.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Transport

There are currently five junior ministers under the Secretary of State for Transport but strangely none of them seem to have any titles

1st Minister of State with no specific title

2nd Minister of State with no specific title

1st Parliamentary Under Secretary without a title

2nd Parliamentary Under Secretary without a title

3rd Parliamentary Under Secretary without a title

Northern Ireland Office

I initially started to sort of design an Irish variant of the Royal Coat of Arms similar to the Scottish replacing the Order of the Garter with the Order of St Patrick and replacing the Scottish Unicorn with an Irish elk like on the Northern Ireland coat of arms. However I stopped short of rearranging the shield and instead added an inner shield of the De Burgh arms like on the Great Seal of Northern Ireland (which I thought was more appropriate as the Secretary of State is also the Keeper of the Great Seal of Northern Ireland).

Flag of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Like most of the regional departments there is only one junior minister in this department.

Minister of State with no specific title

Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland

The Scotland Office use a Scottish variant of the Royal Coat of Arms as used by HM Government and I see no reason to change this.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Scotland

There is one Junior Minister in the Scotland Office

Minister for Scotland

Office of the Secretary of State for Wales

The Wales Office had until recently used the original Royal Badge of Wales. I am not sure why they stopped but I decided to bring it back.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Wales

Like the other regional departments there is one junior minister

Parliamentary Under Secretary with no title

Office of the Leader of the House of Lords

One of the two houses of Parliament the Leader of the Lords Office hence uses the Portcullis badge of the Palace of Westminster and the UK Parliament, coloured red which is the colour of the House of Lords. 

Flag of the Leader of the House of Lords

Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

This was a difficult badge to create as it had to have traditional heraldic images for modern concepts like digital technology. Starting with the arts, I decided to focus on music and hence used a lyre harp which is the symbol of musicians. Inside this is a beacon which represents broadcasting, behind this is two crossed lightning bolts representing digital technology. Above the beacon are two crossed quills which can represent both written journalism and visual art. In heraldry sport and sportsmanship is often represented by symbols of hunting and so at the very top is a bugle horn which as well as sport also doubles as another musical symbol.

Flag of the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

There are five junior ministers within the department at present all of whom have titles.

Minister of Digital and Culture

Minister for Media and Data

Minister for Digital Infrastructure

Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage

Minister for Civil Society and Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Department for International Development

 It literally appears to be a copy of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office with the same people in the same roles. However since I did not know this when I designed the flags I thought I might as well share them anyway. I reused the symbolism of a globe but in order to distinguish it from the foreign office I used an armillary globe with the torch of enlightenment.

Flag of the Secretary of State for International Development

There are five junior ministers in this department who are also junior ministers in the Foreign Office.

Minister for Middle East and North Africa

Minister for Pacific & the Environment

Minister for Asia

Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth

Minister for Africa

Minster for European Neighbourhood and the Americas

Minister for the Overseas Territories & Sustainable Development

Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

One of the two houses that make up the UK Parliament the flag of the Leader of the House of Commons is the same as that of the House of Lords but with the portcullis coloured green (the colour of the House of Commons)

Flag of the Leader of the House of Commons

Attorney Generals Office

The badge on the Flag of the Attorney General is the Sword and Scales of Justice with the Royal Arms imposed upon it.

Flag of the Attorney General

This flag is distinguished from the Advocate General by the non Scottish variant of the shield and the Cross of St George in the 1st quarter. Under the Attorney General is the Solicitor General who's flag also features the sword and scales of justice but with the St Edwards Crown imposed upon it.

Flag of the Solicitor General

 Last but by no means least is the Cabinet Office (there is still the office of HM's Advocate General for Scotland and the Office of UK Finance however both those offices have no junior ministers and their Secretaries of State have already been mentioned).

Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office is the Prime Minister's office. Hence with a few exceptions its junior ministers use the Royal Coat of Arms as used by HM Government unless they have a flag for a relevant title.
The current Minister of the Cabinet Office is also the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. This is usually a ceremonial role given to a minister without a portfolio or title. The badge is of course the coat of arms of the Duke of Lancaster

Flag of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Another ceremonial title that is often given to a junior minister in the Cabinet Office is Paymaster General. The badge I designed for this is the lion passant from the Royal Crest standing on a key.

Flag of the Paymaster General

All the other junior ministers with the exception of the Minister for Defence People & Veterans (who uses the MOD flag) use the royal coat of arms.

1st Minister of State without a title

2nd Minister of State without a title

3rd Minister of State without a title

Parliamentary Under Secretary without a title

There are in addition three titles relating to the Privy Council that are usually held by members of the Government; Lord High Chancellor,  Lord President of the Council and Lord Privy Seal. At present these are held by Secretaries of State so there is no need for them to use a separate flag. However in case that should change in the future the holders of these offices could use the variant of the Royal Arms used by the Privy Council in a flag, that is the same as the Home Office but with a round shield.

Flag of the Lord High Chancellor

Flag of the Lord President of the Council

Flag of the Lord Privy Seal

That concludes the ministerial flags. I think this system works better than simply defacing Union Flags as by using the labels the same badge is able to be used more than once.