Law Updates

Updates on the law are listed below.

March 2008 Update

The English Legal System, 5th edition

Chapter 16 – The Judiciary

16.13.2

Ministry of Justice

In 2007 a Ministry of Justice was created to bring together all the key elements of the justice system under one ministry. Previously two ministries, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Home Office, had had responsibility for separate parts of the justice system.

The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for:

the civil courts
the criminal courts
the judiciary
legal aid and funding of cases
prisons
the probation service
sentencing.

There are fears that the budget of the new department will not be sufficient for all this and that prisons will take a large part of the budget. This could result in there not being enough money for the courts service.

Judges are also worried about the effect of the change on their independence. The Minister for Justice is also the Lord Chancellor. As the Minister for Justice is a key role in the executive, it is difficult to see how he can also maintain the independence of the judiciary.

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