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.

Following a brief outline of the origins of the actuarial profession in the United Kingdom, the paper traces the involvement of actuaries in the supervision of insurance in the U.K., and recalls the origins and early development of actuaries in government. In 1919, the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) was formed, and the paper explores the developing role of GAD in the supervision of insurance and how insurance supervision has evolved into a close partnership between the actuarial profession and the supervisors.