Our governance
The Law Officers have overall responsibility for the work of the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office
The Attorney General and Solicitor General (the Law Officers) have overall responsibility for the work of:
- Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
- HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI)
- Government Legal Department (GLD)
- Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
Together with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), these departments are known as the Law Officers’ Departments (LODs).
The superintendence relationship between the Attorney General’s Office and the directors of CPS, SFO and GLD are set out in Framework Agreements. The sponsorship relationship with HMCPSI is set out in the Protocol.
Sponsorship
The AGO takes a risk-based approach to sponsorship, with the approach taken to each of the LODs reflecting its size and risk profile.
Each sponsorship relationship is managed using a selection of the following tools:
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Framework Agreement or Protocol setting out the relationship between the Law Offices and the LOD.
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For CPS, GLD and SFO, Ministerial Strategic Boards (MSBs). Chaired by the Attorney, these focus on the LODs’ corporate performance discussing strategy, performance and finances.
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Regular meetings between the Law Officers and the heads of the LODs. These meetings normally focus on policy issues, high profile topical issues and casework.
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Meetings with the LODs’ Non-executive Directors to discuss their external perspective of LOD performance
Governance
The Director of Public Prosecutions and Director of SFO are accounting officers for the CPS and SFO. The CPS Chief Executive is an additional accounting officer.
The Treasury Solicitor is accounting officer for GLD, AGO and HMCPSI.
The AGO Director General as delegated accounting officer and the HMCPSI Chief Inspector as accounting officer provides the Treasury Solicitor as the Principal Accounting Officer with assurance on their systems of internal control, financial management and other governance matters through an annual assurance process and performance and accountability reviews.
Departmental boards
AGO is a Ministerial Department which supports the Attorney General and Solicitor General in their role as Law Officers.
AGO has an internal management board, known as the executive board, which meets monthly and is made up of representatives from across the different areas of the AGO. AGO is subject to the oversight of the GLD audit committee.
CPS, SFO and GLD are non-ministerial government departments and headed by a statutory office holder.
The CPS, SFO and GLD each has a departmental board which meets regularly, comprising of senior staff and external non-executive directors. They each have an audit and risk committee, chaired by one of the non-executive directors, and other internal governance committees.
HMCPSI has an internal management board, known as the inspection management board, which meets monthly and is made up of representatives from HMCPSI together with an external adviser. HMCPSI is subject to the oversight of the GLD Audit Committee.
The AGO Director General and the Chief Inspector meet regularly with the Treasury Solicitor and produce assurance and accountability reports in relation to their internal control and financial management.