Attorney General's Office (United Kingdom)
Ministerial department of the UK Government
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It supports the Attorney General and their deputy, the Solicitor General (together, the Law officers of the Crown in England and Wales). It is sometimes referred to as the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers.
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom, mainly England and Wales and Northern Ireland |
| Headquarters | 102 Petty France, London, England |
| Annual budget | £600 million & no capital expenditure for Law Officers' Departments in 2017/18[1] |
| Ministers responsible | |
| Department executive |
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| Website | gov |
The administration and expenditure of the Attorney General's Office are scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee.[2]
Organisation
The AGO is one of the smallest UK government departments, with around 60 staff.[3] It is one of "the Law Officers’ Departments" along with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Government Legal Department. The Treasury Solicitor acts as Accounting Officer for the AGO.
The AGO provides legal advice and support to the Law Officers who themselves provide legal advice to the government, and works with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to develop criminal justice policy.[4]
Ministers
The Law Officers in England and Wales are as follows, with Cabinet attendees in bold:[5]
| Minister | Portrait | Rank | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Hermer, Baron Hermer |  |
Attorney General Advocate General for Northern Ireland |
Chief legal adviser to the Crown; the Crown Prosecution Service; the Serious Fraud Office; His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate; the Government Legal Department
Other responsibilities include: acting as principal legal adviser on questions of EU and international law, human rights and devolution issues; referring unduly lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal; bringing proceedings for contempt of court intervening in certain proceedings to protect charities; dealing with questions of law arising on government Bills; legal aspects of all major international and domestic litigation involving the government. |
| Ellie Reeves MP |  |
Solicitor General | Deputising for the Attorney General and being responsible for such matters as the Attorney General delegates; providing support to the Attorney General in his superintendence of the Government Legal Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Service Prosecuting Authority, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Serious Fraud Office; providing support to the Attorney General on civil litigation and advice on civil law matters and on the public interest function. |