Ministry of Social Affairs (Spain)

First period (1988–1996)

From the 1980s onwards, the concept of "charity" gradually lost ground to others like "social action" and "social services" and, in 1988, during the premiership of Felipe González, this department was created for the first time, under the name "Ministry of Social Affairs".^[13][14]

During its first period of life, the department assumed powers relating to social services, equality, minors protection and prevention of youth crime, adoptions and foster care and the promotion of cultural communication and youth association. Likewise, the department was responsible for the management of the social programs derived from funds obtained through the personal income tax and in its later years from the government migration policy.^[15][16]

This new ministry assumed the responsibilities of up to three ministerial departments, namely:^[15]

• Those that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the National Institute of Social Services had in matters of social services and social action.
• Those that the Ministry of Culture had, through the Institute of Women and the Institute of Youth.
• Those that the Ministry of Justice had through the Directorate-General for Legal Protection of Minors.

In 1990, Social Affairs Offices were established in the Government Delegations.^[17] In 1993 they were merged into the Provincial Directorates of Labour, Social Security and Social Affairs.^[18]

That same year, 1993, the department's scope of authority was expanded, assuming the immigration functions of the Ministry of Labour and those previously carried out by the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs through the Government Delegation for the National Drugs Plan.^[19] Just five months later, the National Drugs Plan was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior to unify the ministry's anti-drug policy, not only in terms of repression, but also to ensure prevention and rehabilitation.^[20]

In 1996, the new prime minister José María Aznar abolished the department and transferred its competences to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.^[16]

Two decades without an independent ministry (1996–2020)

The government structure established by Aznar was maintained during his two terms and the first term of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

However, starting with Zapatero's second government, the responsibilities previously held by the Department of Social Affairs underwent numerous changes. Firstly, in 2008, the bulk of these responsibilities, now under the title of "Social Policy", were integrated into the Ministry of Education, while those related to equality were split in a new department, the Ministry of Equality.^[21][22] Secondly, a year later, the former were transferred from Education to the Ministry of Health,^[23][24] and in 2010, the Department of Equality was abolished, its policies downgraded to the rank of a State Secretariat, and similarly transferred to the Ministry of Health.^[25][26] Thus, all Social Affairs responsibilities were grouped under the Ministry of Health until 2020 (except for Equality, which was briefly under the Ministry of the Presidency).^[27]

Second period (since 2020)

With the formation of the second government of Pedro Sánchez and the necessary coalition government with Unidas Podemos that supported it, the government agreement led to the creation of new ministries, among which the recovery of two old departments stood out: Social Affairs, now called the "Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030", with powers over social services, childhood, youth, families, disability and policies related to the 2030 Agenda; and Equality, with powers over all types of equality, prevention of discrimination and gender violence.

At this stage, and as a consequence of the effects derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, the government approved what it called a "social shield", a series of measures to mitigate these effects. Among these measures, a minimum living income stands out, promoted by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration with the participation of this department,^[28] as well as measures aimed at guaranteeing basic services and reducing the elements of vulnerability, through measures such as the suspension of electricity cuts^[29] or the suspension of evictions,^[30] among others.

Following the government reshuffle of November 2023, the Ministry of Social Rights acquired the consumer affairs and gambling policies of the abolished Ministry of Consumer Affairs.^[31]

Audit

The Ministry's accounts, as well as those of its agencies, are internally audited by the Office of the Comptroller General of the State (IGAE), through a Delegated Comptroller's Office within the Department itself. However, everything related to the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services, which is a Social Security management entity, is audited internally by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Social Security, which is functionally dependent on the IGAE. Externally, the Court of Auditors is responsible for auditing expenditures.

Likewise, the Congress of Deputies Committee on Labour, Social Economy, Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and the Senate Committee on Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, exercise political control over the accounts.