The Secretary of State for Justice is a United Kingdom cabinet position. It was created in 2007 replacing the abolished Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, which was originally intended to supersede the office of Lord Chancellor, with the Lord Chancellor's Department subsequently renamed. On 9 May 2007, the Department for Constitutional Affairs was abolished, and a new Ministry of Justice was created in its place, encompassing all its responsibilities plus other areas transferred from the Home Office. Lord Falconer, while keeping the title of Lord Chancellor, was appointed the first Secretary of State for Justice. However it now looks likely that he shall leave this position by the summer especially as the Home Secretary, John Reid, told Parliament that future Secretaries of State for Justice would be MPs rather than peers. In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) is a United Kingdom government department. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The Lord Chancellors Department was a United Kingdom government department. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Ministry of Justice is a department of the government of the United Kingdom, reorganized from the former Department for Constitutional Affairs. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ... Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC (born November 19, 1951), is a British lawyer and Labour Party politician. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland). ... John Reid may refer to: John Reid (UK politician) (born 1947), British politician, cabinet minister and current Home Secretary. ...

The office of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs 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. Certain functions, however, are linked by statute with the office of Lord Chancellor, and they cannot be transfered to other ministers in the case of a Cabinet reshuffle. An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth of Nations which is formally made in the name of the Queen by the Privy Council (Queen-in-Council), or the Governor-General in a Commonwealth realm or Governor by the Executive Council... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The Lord Chancellors Department was a United Kingdom government department. ... First Secretary of State is a title within the British government, principally regarded as purely honorific, currently held by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. ... The office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. ...

Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs

Lord Falconer of Thoroton Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951) is a British barrister and Labour Party politician. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (129th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ...

Secretary of State for Justice

Lord Falconer of Thoroton Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951) is a British barrister and Labour Party politician. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs is a United Kingdom cabinet position. ...

See also

• Constitutional Reform Act 2005

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (2005 c. ...

External links

• The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 from HMSO
• The Ministry of Justice official website