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Home Secretary

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The Secretary of State for the Home Department, known as the Home Secretary, is, in the United Kingdom government, the minister responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland and is in charge of the Home Office.

In certain other countries, such as Australia, India and Singapore, the term Home Secretary refers to the Permanent Secretary, or the senior civil servant, at the Home Ministry of that country.

The remit of these ministries generally includes Policing, national security, and immigration, the criminal justice system, the Prison service, and matters of citizenship.

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Constitutional affairs

The Home Secretary has no responsibility for the Courts of England and Wales, which is managed by Her Majesty's Courts Service on behalf of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. Unlike many other governments, the British government has separate departments for the issues dealt with by the Home Office and for legal, judicial and civil rights issues; these are dealt with by the Department of Constitutional Affairs. Although there had been calls for the merger of this department with the Home Office.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Separate arrangements have always existed for Scotland and Northern Ireland which distinct legal systems, with internal affairs being, respectively, the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament and (when not suspended) the Northern Ireland Assembly. As of July 2006, Northern Ireland's internal affairs are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The equivalent minister in Scotland is the Minister for Justice, whose remit also includes the Courts of Scotland.

Social issues

The Home Office has also previously dealt with social issues, including social exclusion, equality and race relations. Responsibility for social exclusion is held since May 5th 2006 by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. However, the Home Office continues to have responsibility for race equality, charities, the voluntary sector, the regulation of animal experiments and community policy. The position of Home Secretary is considered one of the great offices of state.

Developments of other government departments

Because the Home Office was initially the primary government department with responsibility for domestic affairs, all subsequent domestic departments have effectively been created by taking responsibilities from the Home Office, leaving in addition to law and order a variety of miscellaneous tasks that have not yet been allocated to a government minister. Consequently Home Secretaries can find themselves dealing with matters as diverse as wild birds in Scotland and which towns in England and Wales are entitled to call themselves cities. It is, however, the law and order function of the department that predominates overwhelmingly. 
Home Secretaries since 1782





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