Attorney General’s Office
The Attorney General and the Solicitor General have three main functions: chief legal advisers to the Government; criminal justice ministers (alongside ministers in the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice); and guardians of the public interest.
The Attorney General and Solicitor General have overall responsibility for the Treasury Solicitor and superintend the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Serious Fraud Office, the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Public Prosecution Office for Northern Ireland.
Contact information
Parliamentary Branch
Correspondence Section:
-
Telephone: 020 7271 2486
-
Fax: 020 7271 2434
-
^ top
Ministers
Attorney General: The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
Baroness Scotland
of Asthal
Leads on:
- Overall responsibility for the work of the Attorney General's Office and superintended Departments (the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office, the Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office, the Army Prosecuting Authority and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate).
- Specific statutory duty to superintend the discharge of duties by the Director of Public Prosecutions (who heads the Crown Prosecution Service), the Director of the Serious Fraud Office, the Director of the Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office, the Director of Army Legal Services and the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.
- Non-statutory oversight of the armed service prosecuting authorities and government prosecuting departments
- Government's principal legal adviser dealing (amongst others) with questions of international law, European Community/Union law, human rights and devolution issues
- Public interest functions, for example, reference of unduly lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal, bringing proceedings for contempt of court and intervention in certain proceedings to protect charities
- Questions of law arising on Bills and with issues of legal policy
- Legal aspects of all major international and domestic litigation involving the Government
- Specific responsibilities for some elements of the Government's Criminal Justice System targets.
Private Office to The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
Solicitor General: Vera Baird QC
Vera Baird
Leads on:
- Deputising for the Attorney General and responsible for such matters as the Attorney General delegates to her from time to time
- Providing support to the Attorney General in her superintendence of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office, the service prosecuting authorities, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Serious Fraud Office
- Civil litigation and advice on civil law matters, including charity and family issues
- Youth matters
- Vexatious litigants; nominations of Counsel; appointment of Counsel as Advocate to the Court
- Advice to the Committee on Standards and Privileges
- Specific responsibilities for some elements of the Government's Criminal Justice System targets.
See also responsibilities in the Government Equalities Office
Private Office to Vera Baird QC
^ top
Private Offices
Private Office to The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
Private Office to Vera Baird QC
^ top
Executive Agencies
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The Treasury Solicitor's Department provides litigation and advisory services to Government departments and other publicly funded bodies in England and Wales. It also administers the estates of people who die in estate with no known kin.
National Fraud Strategic Authority
The National Fraud Strategic Authority (NFSA) is an Executive Agency of the Attorney General's Office. Its remit is to coordinate activity across the whole economy, both private and public sectors, to make the UK a hostile environment for fraudsters.
^ top
