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In Australia the Attorney General is the chief law officer of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. The Attorney General is head of the Department of Justice and is the minister responsible for police, legal affairs and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General are combined into one cabinet position in Canada. The Attorney General is the chief law officer of the Crown. The Minister of Justice is concerned with questions of policy and their relationship to the justice system.
The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (previously the Solicitor General) is a separate cabinet position and administers the police, prisons and security agencies of the federal government.
The Attorney General for England and Wales is similarly the chief law officer of the Crown in England and Wales, and advises and represents the Crown and government departments in court. In practice, the Treasury Solicitor normally provides the lawyers to do the actual appearance in court, although the Attorney General may appear in person if he wishes. He provides legal advice to the Government (e.g. as to the legality of the second Gulf War), and acts as the representative of the public interest (e.g. in relation to charities).
The Attorney General has supervisory powers over the prosecution of criminal offences, but is not personally involved with prosecutions; however, some prosecutions (e.g. Riot) cannot be commenced without his consent, and he has the power to halt prosecutions generally. Criminal prosecutions are the responsibility of the Crown Prosecution Service, headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Attorney General may appeal cases to the higher courts where, although the particular case is settled, a point of law of public importance is at issue. For other parts of the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, see also Law Officers of the CrownThe Law Officers of the Crown are the chief legal advisors to the Crown, and advise and represent the various governments in the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms. United Kingdom The Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal.
The Attorney General of the Duchy of CornwallThe Duchy of Cornwall is one of the two Royal duchies in the United Kingdom (the other being the Duchy of Lancaster). It is an estate held in trust to provide income for the Heir Apparent, currently The Prince of Wales. Despite its name, it is effectively is the chief legal adviser to the Prince of WalesThe eldest son of the reigning monarch of Great Britain is traditionally invested with the title of Prince of Wales . This tradition began in 1301, when King Edward I of England, having completed the Norman conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir, P, and there is a separate Attorney General for the Duchy of LancasterThe Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two Royal Duchies in the United Kingdom, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy of Lancaster was created for John of Gaunt, a younger son of King Edward III of England, when John had acquired its constituent, which is owned by the Crown.