Department for Constitutional Affairs

Former UK Government department

Department for Constitutional Affairs

Agency overview
Formed| 12 June 2003
Dissolved| 9 May 2007
Superseding agency|

* Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)

Jurisdiction| Government of the United Kingdom
Website| https://www.dca.gov.uk
This article is part of a series on

Politics of the United Kingdom

Constitution

* Magna Carta
* Bill of Rights
* Treaty of Union (Acts of Union)
* Parliamentary sovereignty
* Rule of law
* Separation of powers
* Other constitutional principles

The Crown

* The Monarch (list)

Charles III

* Heir apparent

William, Prince of Wales

* * *

* Royal family
* Succession
* Prerogative
* Counsellors of State
* Republicanism in the United Kingdom

Executive

* Privy Council

Charles III
(King-in-Council)

* * *

* HM Government

* Cabinet (list)

Starmer ministry (L)

* Prime Minister (list)

Keir Starmer (L)

* Deputy Prime Minister

Angela Rayner (L)

* * *

* Departments
* Ministers
* Agencies

Legislature

* UK Parliament

* Charles III
(King-in-Parliament)

* * *

* House of Lords

* Lord Speaker
The Lord McFall of Alcluith

* * *

* House of Commons

* Speaker
Sir Lindsay Hoyle

* Leader of the Opposition
Rishi Sunak (C)

* * *

* 59th Parliament
* Opposition
* MPs
* List of MPs

Judiciary

Charles III
(King-on-the-Bench)

* * *

* Supreme Court

* President

The Lord Reed

* Deputy President

The Lord Hodge

* Justices of the Supreme Court

* * *

* United Kingdom
* England and Wales
* Scotland
* Northern Ireland

Bank of England

* Governor

Andrew Bailey

* Deputy governors

Monetary Policy Committee

* * *

* Currencies
* Banknotes
* Coins

Elections and referendums

* UK Parliament constituencies (2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies)
* Political parties
* Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
* Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022
* Scottish Parliament constituencies and electoral regions
* Senedd constituencies and electoral regions

UK general elections

* * *

* 1801 co-option
* 1802
* 1806
* 1807
* 1812
* 1818
* 1820
* 1826
* 1830
* 1831
* 1832–33
* 1835
* 1837
* 1841
* 1847
* 1852
* 1857
* 1859
* 1865
* 1868
* 1874
* 1880
* 1885
* 1886
* 1892
* 1895
* 1900
* 1906
* 1910 (Jan–Feb)
* 1910 (Dec)
* 1918
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1929
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945
* 1950
* 1951
* 1955
* 1959
* 1964
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974 (Feb)
* 1974 (Oct)
* 1979
* 1983
* 1987
* 1992
* 1997
* 2001
* 2005
* 2010
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2024

European Parliament elections (1979–2019)

* * *

* 1979
* 1984
* 1989
* 1994
* 1999
* 2004
* 2009
* 2014
* 2019

Scottish Parliament elections

* * *

* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2011
* 2016
* 2021
* Next

Northern Ireland Assembly elections

* * *

* 1998
* 2003
* 2007
* 2011
* 2016
* 2017
* 2022
* Next

Senedd elections

* * *

* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2011
* 2016
* 2021
* Next

UK referendums

* * *

* 1975
* 2011
* 2016

Devolution

* Intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom
* Legislative consent motions
* Council of Nations and Regions

* * *

England

* Governance of England
* English votes for English laws
* Greater London Authority
* 1998 referendum
* Greater London Authority Act 1999
(2007 Act)
* Mayor of London
* Sadiq Khan
* Mayoral cabinet
* London Assembly
* London Plan
* Combined authorities
* Metro mayors
* Cornwall Council

* * *

Northern Ireland

* Northern Ireland Act 1998
(2006 Act)
* First Minister
* Michelle O'Neill
* deputy First Minister
* Emma Little-Pengelly
* Executive
* Assembly
* Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly
* Law of Northern Ireland

* * *

Scotland

* Scottish devolution
* 1997 referendum
* Scotland Act 1998
(2012 Act, 2016 Act)
* First Minister
* John Swinney
* Government
* Scottish Parliament
* Act of the Scottish Parliament
* Scottish statutory instrument
* Scots law

* * *

Wales

* Welsh devolution
* 1997 referendum
(2011 referendum on law-making powers)
* Government of Wales Act 1998
(2006 Act, Wales Act 2014, Wales Act 2017)
* First Minister
* Eluned Morgan
* Government
* Senedd
* Measure of the National Assembly for Wales (1999–2011)
* Act of Senedd Cymru
* Welsh law

Administration

England

* History
* Subdivisions: Regions
* Ceremonial counties (list)
* Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties
* Metropolitan county
* Non-metropolitan county
* Greater London
* Unitary authorities (list)
* Districts (list)
* Metropolitan Borough
* Non-metropolitan District
* London Borough
* Civil parishes (list)
* Historic counties

* * *

Northern Ireland

* History
* Subdivisions: Counties
* Districts

* * *

Scotland

* History
* Subdivisions: Sheriffdoms
* Council areas
* Community council areas
* Civil parishes
* Shires of Scotland

* * *

Wales

* History
* Preserved counties
* Principal areas
* Communities (list)
* Historic counties

Crown Dependencies

* Bailiwick of Guernsey

* (Guernsey
* Alderney
* Sark)

* * *

* Bailiwick of Jersey

* * *

* Isle of Man

* * *

* British Islands
* Common Travel Area
* UK-CD Customs Union

Overseas Territories

* Akrotiri and Dhekelia
* Anguilla

Bermuda
* British Antarctic Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands

Falkland Islands
* Gibraltar

Montserrat
* Pitcairn Islands

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
(Saint Helena
* Ascension Island

Tristan da Cunha)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Turks and Caicos Islands

* * *

* British Overseas Territories citizen
* Visa requirements
* Visa policies

* * *

* British Overseas Territories Act 2002
* UK-OT JMC
* Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute
* Gibraltar sovereignty dispute
* Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute

Foreign relations

* Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
* Foreign policy (history)

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in the United Kingdom

* * *

* UK passport
* British National (Overseas) passport
* Visa requirements
* UK–CD Customs Union
* Visa policy
* Free trade agreements

* * *

* Australia
* Barbados
* Belgium
* Belize
* Brunei
* Canada
* China
* Hong Kong
* Cyprus
* Denmark
* France
* Germany
* India
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Kenya
* Malaysia
* Malta
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Spain
* South Africa
* Palestine
* Pakistan
* Poland
* Portugal
* United States
* Zimbabwe

* * *

* Ireland
* politics of Northern Ireland
* Good Friday Agreement
* UK–Ireland border
* Northern Ireland Protocol
* British–Irish Council

* * *

* European Union (history)
* Brexit
* Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union
* UK–EU withdrawal agreement

* * *

* The Commonwealth
* member states

* * *

* United Kingdom and the United Nations
* United Nations Security Council
* P5

* * *

* NATO
* G20
* G7

United Kingdom portal

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003; it took over the functions of the Lord Chancellor's Department.[1] On 28 March 2007 it was announced that the Department for Constitutional Affairs would take control of probation, prisons and prevention of re-offending from the Home Office and be renamed the Ministry of Justice.[2] This took place on 9 May 2007.

Department's headquarters (on the right)

It was primarily responsible for reforms to the constitution, relations with the Channel Islands and Isle of Man and, within England and Wales, it was concerned with the administration of the Courts, legal aid, and the appointment of the judiciary. Other responsibilities included issues relating to human rights, data protection, and freedom of information.

It incorporated the Wales Office and the Scotland Office, but those offices remained the overall responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales and Secretary of State for Scotland respectively.

After the 2005 general election, it gained additional responsibilities for coroners and conduct of local government elections in England.[3]

## Departmental executive agencies and public bodies

[edit]

* Her Majesty's Courts Service (for England and Wales)
* Public Guardianship Office (for England and Wales)
* Tribunals Service
* Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
* Legal Services Commission
* HM Land Registry

## Legislation enacted by the department

[edit]

This is a list of acts of Parliament enacted since 1997 that gave powers to the Department of Constitutional Affairs.

### Constitutional acts

[edit]

* Compensation Act 2006
* Criminal Defence Service Act 2006
* Inquiries Act 2005
* Constitutional Reform Act 2005
* Mental Capacity Act 2005
* Gender Recognition Act 2004
* Courts Act 2003
* Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002
* Land Registration Act 2002
* Freedom of Information Act 2000
* Access to Justice Act 1999
* Data Protection Act 1998
* Human Rights Act 1998

### Election acts

[edit]

* Electoral Administration Act 2006
* European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act 2004
* European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003
* European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002
* Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
* Representation of the People Act 2000

## See also

[edit]

* English law
* Scottish Government
* Courts of Scotland
* Departments of the United Kingdom Government

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Lord Chancellor's Department". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
2. ^ "Home Office to be split in two". BBC News Online. BBC. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
3. ^ "Machinery of Government Changes". Archived from the original on 2 November 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2005.

## External links

[edit]

* Department for Constitutional Affairs Official Archived Website from 6 May 2007
* His Majesty's Courts Service
* Land Registry
* The National Archives
* Public Guardianship Office
* Tribunals Service

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template