# Department for Constitutional Affairs > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Department_for_Constitutional_Affairs > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Department_for_Constitutional_Affairs.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Constitutional_Affairs > Source revision: 1348065150 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 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 Minister responsible Lord Chancellor 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) King Charles III Heir apparent William, Prince of 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Wales of Greater London 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 Politics portal v t e The **Department for Constitutional Affairs** (**DCA**) was a [United Kingdom government department](/source/United_Kingdom_government_department). Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003; it took over the functions of the [Lord Chancellor's Department](/source/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](/source/Home_Office) and be renamed the [Ministry of Justice](/source/Ministry_of_Justice_(United_Kingdom)).[2] This took place on 9 May 2007. Department's headquarters (on the right) It was primarily responsible for reforms to the [constitution](/source/Constitution_of_the_United_Kingdom), relations with the [Channel Islands](/source/Channel_Islands) and [Isle of Man](/source/Isle_of_Man) and, within [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales), it was concerned with the administration of the [Courts](/source/Courts_of_England_and_Wales), [legal aid](/source/Legal_aid), and the appointment of the [judiciary](/source/Judiciary). Other responsibilities included issues relating to [human rights](/source/Human_rights), [data protection](/source/Information_privacy), and [freedom of information](/source/Freedom_of_information). It incorporated the [Wales Office](/source/Wales_Office) and the [Scotland Office](/source/Scotland_Office), but those offices remained the overall responsibility of the [Secretary of State for Wales](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Wales) and [Secretary of State for Scotland](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Scotland), respectively. After the [2005 general election](/source/2005_United_Kingdom_general_election), it gained additional responsibilities for [coroners](/source/Coroner) and conduct of local government elections in [England](/source/England).[3] ## Departmental executive agencies and public bodies - [Her Majesty's Courts Service](/source/Her_Majesty's_Courts_Service) (for [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales)) - [Public Guardianship Office](/source/Public_Guardianship_Office) (for [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales)) - [Tribunals Service](/source/Tribunals_Service) - [Official Solicitor and Public Trustee](/source/Official_Solicitor_and_Public_Trustee) - [Legal Services Commission](/source/Legal_Services_Commission) - [HM Land Registry](/source/HM_Land_Registry) ## Legislation enacted by the department This is a list of [acts of Parliament](/source/Act_of_Parliament) enacted since 1997 that gave powers to the Department of Constitutional Affairs. ### Constitutional acts - [Compensation Act 2006](/source/Compensation_Act_2006) - [Criminal Defence Service Act 2006](/source/Criminal_Defence_Service_Act_2006) - [Inquiries Act 2005](/source/Inquiries_Act_2005) - [Constitutional Reform Act 2005](/source/Constitutional_Reform_Act_2005) - [Mental Capacity Act 2005](/source/Mental_Capacity_Act_2005) - [Gender Recognition Act 2004](/source/Gender_Recognition_Act_2004) - [Courts Act 2003](/source/Courts_Act_2003) - [Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002](/source/Commonhold_and_Leasehold_Reform_Act_2002) - [Land Registration Act 2002](/source/Land_Registration_Act_2002) - [Freedom of Information Act 2000](/source/Freedom_of_Information_Act_2000) - [Access to Justice Act 1999](/source/Access_to_Justice_Act_1999) - [Data Protection Act 1998](/source/Data_Protection_Act_1998) - [Human Rights Act 1998](/source/Human_Rights_Act_1998) ### Election acts - [Electoral Administration Act 2006](/source/Electoral_Administration_Act_2006) - [European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act 2004](/source/European_Parliamentary_and_Local_Elections_(Pilots)_Act_2004) - [European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003](/source/European_Parliament_(Representation)_Act_2003) - [European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002](/source/European_Parliamentary_Elections_Act_2002) - [Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000](/source/Political_Parties%2C_Elections_and_Referendums_Act_2000) - [Representation of the People Act 2000](/source/Representation_of_the_People_Act_2000) ## Junior ministers - [Chris Leslie](/source/Chris_Leslie) (June 2003 – May 2005) - [David Lammy](/source/David_Lammy) (June 2003 – May 2005) - [Anne McGuire](/source/Anne_McGuire) (June 2003 – May 2005) - [Don Touhig](/source/Don_Touhig) (June 2003 – May 2005) - [Geoffrey Filkin, Baron Filkin](/source/Geoffrey_Filkin%2C_Baron_Filkin) (June 2003 – September 2004) - [Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland](/source/Catherine_Ashton) (September 2004 – May 2007) - [Harriet Harman](/source/Harriet_Harman) (May 2005 – May 2007) - [Bridget Prentice](/source/Bridget_Prentice) (May 2005 – May 2007) - [Vera Baird](/source/Vera_Baird) (May 2006 – May 2007) ## See also - [English law](/source/English_law) - [Scottish Government](/source/Scottish_Government) - [Courts of Scotland](/source/Courts_of_Scotland) - [Departments of the United Kingdom Government](/source/Departments_of_the_United_Kingdom_Government) - [Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations](/source/Minister_for_the_Constitution_and_European_Union_Relations) - [Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture](/source/Cabinet_Secretary_for_the_Constitution%2C_External_Affairs_and_Culture) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Lord Chancellor's Department"](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/lord-chancellors-department). *GOV.UK*. Retrieved 2 January 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBC1_2-0)** ["Home Office to be split in two"](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6505025.stm). *BBC News Online*. BBC. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2007. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Machinery of Government Changes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20051102034845/http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page7534.asp). Archived from [the original](http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page7534.asp) on 2 November 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2005. ## External links - [Department for Constitutional Affairs Official Archived Website from 6 May 2007](http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070506093704/http://www.dca.gov.uk/) - [His Majesty's Courts Service](https://web.archive.org/web/20050405065918/http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/) - [Land Registry](http://www.landregistry.gov.uk) - [The National Archives](http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) - [Public Guardianship Office](https://web.archive.org/web/20050403170134/http://www.guardianship.gov.uk/) - [Tribunals Service](http://www.tribunalsservice.gov.uk/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20051108202659/http://www.tribunalsservice.gov.uk/) 8 November 2005 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Department for Constitutional Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Constitutional_Affairs) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Constitutional_Affairs?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.