Encyclopedia > Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs
The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs is a United Kingdomcabinet position. It was created in 2003, and was originally intended to supersede the office of Lord Chancellor, with the Lord Chancellor's Department renamed the Department for Constitutional Affairs. However, it now looks likely that in future all Secretaries of State for Constitutional Affairs will also hold the title of Lord Chancellor.
The office was formally created through the approval, by way of the Order-in-Council procedure, of 'The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 (SI 2003 No. 1887)'. Through the order references to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chancellor's Department were thereby construed to either refer to or stand transferred to the Secretary. Functions were also transferred from the First Secretary of State, a position within the government currently held by the Deputy Prime Minister.
In France, a Secretary of State is a junior minister, responsible to a minister or the Prime Minister.
In the United States federal government, the main role of the Secretary of State is to supervise and conduct foreign policy.
In the individual states of the United States, the Secretary of State is an administrative officer responsible for a variety of governmental functions, depending on the constitution and laws of the particular state.
Secretary of State for Transport[?] and Secretary of State for Scotland[?] - Alistair Darling[?]
In a controversial reshuffle on June 12, 2003, it was announced, without prior consultation, that the government intended to abolish the ancient office of Lord Chancellor and combine it with the posts of Secretary of State for Scotland[?] and Secretary of State for Wales in the new Secretary of State for ConstitutionalAffairs[?].
They will use the titles of Secretary of State for Scotland and for Wales despite not being the heads of those departments, which are being absorbed into the new Department for Constitutional Afairs[?].
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