Home Office
The Home Office is a United Kingdom government department, responsible for internal affairs, such as law and order throughout England and Wales. It continues to be known, especially in official papers, as in former times as the Home Department.
Ministers as of 21 August 2003
- Secretary of State for the Home Department - The Rt Hon. David Blunkett MP
- Minister of State (Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety) - Hazel Blears MP
- Minister of State (Criminal Justice System and Law Reform) - The Rt Hon. The Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
- Minister of State (Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism) - Beverley Hughes MP (resigned April 1, 2004)
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Tackling Drugs, Reducing Organised and International Crime) - Caroline Flint MP
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Race Equality, Community Policy and Civil Renewal) - Fiona Mactaggart MP
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Correctional Services and Reducing Reoffending) - Paul Goggins MP
Departmental agencies
- Assets Recovery Agency headed by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Tackling Drugs, Reducing Organised and International Crime)
- Criminal Records Bureau headed by the Minister of State (Criminal Justice System and Law Reform)
- Forensic Science Service headed by the Minister of State (Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety)
- HM Prison Service headed by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Correctional Services and Reducing Reoffending)
- UK Passport Service headed by the Minister of State (Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism)
Location
Since 1978 the Home Office has been located in a Brutalist concrete tower block in Queen Anne's Gate in Westminster, by St. James's Park tube station, although many functions are devolved to offices in other parts of London and the country. Notably, the offices of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate are in Croydon. In Spring 2005 the Home Office will move to a new main office designed by Sir Terry Farrell in Marsham Street, on the site of the recently demolished Department of the Environment building. It will share the new facility with the Prison Service, according to a statement from Home Secretary David Plunkett, March 26, 2002. The contract was a public-private partnership deal intended to last for around 29 years.
See also
External links
- Home Office website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk)