The Ministry replaces the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
It is responsible for policy on the overall criminal, civil, family and administrative justice system, including sentencing policy, as well as the courts, tribunals, legal aid and constitutional reform.
The Ministry of Justice helps to bring together management of the criminal justice system from end to end, meaning that once a suspect has been charged their journey through the courts - and if necessary prison and probation - can be managed seamlessly.
Here is a list of ministers who work for the Ministry of Justice.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Responsibilities:
- Overall strategy
- Resourcing
- Judicial appointments
- Judicial diversity
- Lords reform
- Party funding
- Constitutional renewal
Minister of State
Rt Hon David Hanson MP
Responsibilities:
- Oversight of criminal law
- Prisons
- Probation
- Sentencing policy
- Youth Justice
- Northern Ireland Court Service
- Industrial relations
Minister of State
Michael Wills MP
Responsibilities:
- Constitutional renewal (apart from Lords Reform)
- Electoral policy
- Electoral engagement (with Bridget Prentice)
- Freedom of Information
- Data sharing and data protection
- National Archives
- Devolution
- Human rights, including Equalities
- Crown Dependencies
- Royal, Church & Hereditary Issues and Lord Lieutenants
- Privy Counsellors
- Land Registry
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE
Responsibilities:
- Legal Aid
- Legal Services Commission
- Lords Reform (with Secretary of State)
- Departmental business in the Lords
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Bridget Prentice MP
Responsibilities:
- Civil and family justice
- Coroner reform
- Electoral / democratic engagement (with Michael Wills)
- Party funding (with Secretary of State)
- Law Commission
- Social Exclusion
- Compensation culture
- Tribunals and administrative justice
- Legal services reform
- Legal Services Complaints Commission
- Legal Services Ombudsman
- Asylum and Immigration
- European Union and international
- Office of the Public Guardian
- Offices of Court Funds, Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Maria Eagle MP
Responsibilities:
- Lead on criminal law
- Support on prisons, probation, and sentencing policy
- HM Courts Service
- Criminal Justice
- Office for Criminal Justice Reform
- Support to Lord Hunt on legal aid
Contact department
For general enquiries e-mail the MofJ at: general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk
Useful links