| United Kingdom Advocate General for Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Attorney General's Office | |
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Justice |
| Appointer | The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Formation | April 2010 |
| First holder | Patricia Scotland |
| Deputy | Attorney General |
| Website | www.gov.uk |
The advocate general for Northern Ireland is the chief legal adviser to the Government of the United Kingdom on Northern Ireland law and the post is held by the attorney general for England and Wales by virtue of that office. The advocate general and the solicitor general for England and Wales have, in Northern Ireland, the same rights of audience as members of the Bar of Northern Ireland. [1] They are called to the Northern Ireland Bar in order to fulfill these duties. [2]
Contents
The advocate general was created as a separate office by the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 [1] upon the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April 2010. [3]
Unlike the advocate general for Scotland, the position is not supported by a distinct government department. Instead, that support is provided by the civil law and Northern Ireland section within the Attorney General's Office at Westminster. [4] [5]
The chief legal adviser to the Northern Ireland Executive is the attorney general for Northern Ireland. [6]
The advocate general retains the power to refer the question of whether a bill passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is within the competence of the Assembly. [7]
