Synonyms and antonyms of UK and Commonwealth government departments and organizations in British Thesaurus

the Admiralty ()

the department of the British government that used to be responsible for the navy

Auntie (British)

Britishhumorous an informal name for the BBC

the BBC ()

the British Broadcasting Corporation: an organization that broadcasts television and radio programmes and is owned by the British government. It does not have advertising and is paid for by the licence fee (=money paid every year by people who own a television).

the Beeb (British)

Britishinformal the BBC

the British Council ()

a British organization that helps to spread the English language and British culture and technology around the world. It is supported by the British government.

chancery (noun)

a government office where official documents are kept

Customs and Excise (noun)

the former name for the British government department responsible for collecting taxes on goods that are bought or sold or brought into the country. It became part of HMRC in 2005, but people still use the old name in unofficial contexts.

the DCMS ()

the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport: the British government department responsible for government policy on culture, newspapers and television, sport, and tourism

DEFRA (noun)

the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: the British government department responsible for the environment, safe food supplies, and countryside communities

the DOH ()

Department of Health: a British government department

the DPP (British)

British the Department of Public Prosecutions

DVLA ()

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: the British government organization that is responsible for providing people with driving licences and collecting road tax

the DWP ()

the Department for Work and Pensions: a British government department responsible for employment and pensions

the FCO ()

the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: the official name for the British Foreign Office

the FO (British)

British the Foreign Office

the Foreign Office ()

the British government department that deals with Britain’s relations with foreign countries. Its full name is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The US department that has a similar purpose is the State Department.

GCHQ ()

Government Communications Headquarters: a British government organization that collects information by listening to the communications of other countries

HM (abbreviation)

Her/His Majesty’s: used in the names of government organizations in the UK

HMG (abbreviation)

Her/His Majesty’s Government: the British government

HMRC (abbreviation)

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs: the British government department responsible for taxation. It collects both direct taxes (such as income tax and corporation tax) and indirect taxes (such as VAT).

the Home Office ()

in the UK, the government department that is responsible for the police and for protecting the country from attacks by terrorists. It also controls who is allowed into the country. The minister in charge of the Home Office is called the Home Secretary.

the Inland Revenue ()

the former name for the British government department responsible for collecting taxes. It became part of HMRC in 2005, but people still use the old name in unofficial contexts.

the Land Registry ()

the British government department responsible for keeping records of who owns land

the Met Office ()

the British government department that prepares reports that say what the weather is going to be like. This type of report is called a weather forecast.

MI5 ()

the British government organization that works secretly to stop other countries getting important military and political information about the UK

MI6 ()

the British government organization that secretly sends people to other countries to get important military and political information about them

the Ministry of Justice ()

in the UK, the government department responsible for prisons and the law courts

the MOD ()

the Ministry of Defence: the British government department responsible for the armed forces

Ofcom (noun)

an organization that checks standards in the UK communications industries

Ofsted ()

the Office for Standards in Education: a government department that checks educational standards in schools and colleges in England and Wales

quango (noun)

quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization: an organization in the UK that is separate from the government but has responsibilities similar to those of a government department

social services (noun)

the department in a local council that deals with social services

the taxman (noun)

informal the government department that is responsible for collecting taxes

the Welsh Assembly ()

the part of the British government that is responsible for Wales. It is based in Wales and its members are directly elected by the Welsh people.

Whitehall ()

the name of the street in London where there are a lot of British government departments

Whitehall ()

belonging to or connected with a government department in the UK