Thesecretary of state for justice is asecretary of state in theGovernment of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for theMinistry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of theCabinet of the United Kingdom. Since the office's inception, the incumbent has concurrently been appointedLord Chancellor.
| United Kingdom Secretary of State for Justice | |
|---|---|
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| Ministry of Justice | |
| Style | Justice Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) |
| Type | Minister of the Crown |
| Status | Secretary of State |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Seat | Westminster |
| Nominator | The Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch (on the advice of thePrime Minister) |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure |
| Precursor | Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs |
| Formation | 9 May 2007 |
| First holder | The Lord Falconer |
| Salary | £159,038 per annum(2022)[1] (including £86,584MP salary)[2] |
| Website | Official Website |
The officeholder works alongside the otherjustice ministers. The correspondingshadow minister is theshadow secretary of state for justice, and the performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by theJustice Select Committee.[3]
Responsibilities
editCorresponding to what is generally known as ajustice minister in many other countries, the justice secretary's remit encompassesjustice policy for the whole United Kingdom along with matters of justice specific toEngland and Wales.
The justice secretary is responsible throughout the UK for:
- Human rights andcivil liberties;
- Miscarriages of justice (via theCriminal Cases Review Commission); and
- The UK’s relations with the governments of the threeCrown Dependencies -Guernsey,Jersey, and theIsle of Man.
In relation to England and Wales, the justice secretary's portfolio concerns the following matters:
- The delivery ofcriminal justice generally, includingcriminal law,criminal procedure,sentencing,probation andparole,criminal injury compensation, andvictim's rights;
- All matters falling undercivil justice, including but not limited tocivil procedure,administrative law,bankruptcy andinsolvency law,commercial law,contract law,family law,probate, andtort; and
- Administration of theChildren and Family Court Advisory and Support Service,His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, theParole Board, thePrisons and Probation Ombudsman, theVictims' Commissioner, and theYouth Justice Board.
Creation
editThe then Lord Chancellor,Lord Falconer of Thoroton, was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for Justice when it was created in 2007. The office of theSecretary of State for Constitutional Affairs was abolished, along with the Department for Constitutional Affairs. TheHome Secretary,John Reid, told Parliament that future secretaries of state for justice would be MPs rather than peers.
List of secretaries of state
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Timeline
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor sinceSir Robert Henley asLord Keeper of the Seal in 1760.
References
edit- ^"Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23"(PDF). 15 December 2022.
- ^"Pay and expenses for MPs".parliament.uk. Retrieved15 December 2022.
- ^"Michael Gove questioned on work of Secretary of State".parliament.uk. 9 July 2015. Retrieved2 September 2021.
The Justice Committee holds a one-off session with Michael Gove MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, on the work of the Secretary of State for Justice.
- ^"Lord Falconer of Thoroton".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Jack Straw".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Lord Clarke of Nottingham".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Michael Gove MP".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Sir David Lidington".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE".GOV.UK.
- ^"Rt Hon David Gauke".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP".UK Parliament. Retrieved27 August 2021.
- ^"Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP".UK Parliament. Retrieved25 September 2021.