Cabinet Secretary for Justice
| Cabinet Secretary for Justice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Appointer | First Minister |
| Website |
www |
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, commonly referred to as the Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for law and order in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary is assisted by the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs.
The current Cabinet Secretary for Justice is Michael Matheson, who was appointed in November 2014.
History
The position was created in 1999 as the Minister for Justice, with the advent of devolution and the institution of the Scottish Parliament, taking over some of the roles and functions of the former Scottish Office Minister of State for Home Affairs that existed prior to 1999.
As with the UK Secretary of State for Justice, but unlike some other justice ministers, the Cabinet Secretary does not have any oversight of prosecutions - in Scotland these are handled by the Lord Advocate.
Overview
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice include: The Justice system, Criminal Law procedure, Civil law, Police, Fire and Rescue services, Legal profession, Violence reduction, Anti-sectarianism, Courts, Sentencing, Security, Human rights, Access to justice, Community safety, Anti-social behaviour, Prisons and prisoners, Female offenders, Criminal justice social work, Victims and witnesses, Reducing reoffending, Youth justice, Liquor licensing.
Public bodies
The following public bodies report to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice:
- Disclosure Scotland
- Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland
- Judicial Complaints Reviewer
- Parole Board for Scotland
- Police Investigations and Review Commissioner
- Risk Management Authority
- Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
- Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- Scottish Law Commission
- Scottish Legal Aid Board
- Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
- Scottish Police Authority
- Scottish Prison Service
List of office holders
| Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Party | First Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wallace |  |
16 May 1999 | 20 May 2003 | Liberal Democrats | Donald Dewar Henry McLeish Jack McConnell | ||
| Cathy Jamieson |  |
20 May 2003 | 16 May 2007 | Labour Party | Jack McConnell | ||
| Kenny MacAskill | .jpg) |
16 May 2007 | 20 November 2014 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | ||
| Michael Matheson |  |
21 November 2014 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | ||