Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 June 2011
The Government Actuary's Department (GAD) came into being in 1919, originally arising from the perceived importance of applying actuarial skills to the financing of the United Kingdom social security system. Whilst the GAD has changed considerably over the years, and now operates as a publicly owned consulting firm, social security and related policy and regulatory advice remain at the core of the Government Actuary's role. This paper explores the nature of the role of the GAD in the social security area, and provides examples of the scope of GAD reports on the long-term finances of the National Insurance Fund. A brief description is given of some of the other areas of GAD's work.