The division of the Home Office brings to an end an extensive period of reform initiated by John Reid after his appointment to Home Secretary in May 2006.
The Home Secretary said he thought the reform is necessary in a transient society: “The world doesn’t stand still and neither should we. That’s why we have refocused the Home Office on the issues that matter most to the public – crime, immigration and protection against terrorism,” Dr Reid said.
“These are the great issues of our time – issues of personal, community and national security. It is right that they should be the focus of the new Home Office that comes into being today – a Home Office dedicated to protecting the public and securing the future.”
In a shift from its previous role, the Home Office will now turn all of its attention to fighting crime and terrorism and protecting the UK’s borders.
Included in the new Home Office is an Office for Security and Counter-terrorism, which will be the nation’s specialists in fighting the threat of terrorism. Dr Reid said the new anti-terror unit “will ensure a seamless response to the terrorist threat.”
In response to one of the government’s most controversial schemes, John Reid continued: “We will build a national ID card scheme to combat illegal immigration, organised crime and international terrorism, and we will continue to deliver on our commitment to protect the public from crime and anti-social behaviour.”
From now, all responsibilities for criminal law and sentencing, reducing re-offending, and prisons and probation will transfer from the Home Office to a new Ministry of Justice, built around the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
The Home Affairs Committee announced today that, as a consequence of the transfer of responsibility to the new Ministry of Justice, it has decided that it has no alternative but to cease work on its inquiry entitled “Towards Effective Sentencing”. The committee, which is made up of fourteen MPs, has said that the project is no longer within its remit. However, the committee will publish the evidence it has received so far in the inquiry. It has formally passed on the evidence to the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and it is hoping they will pursue the important issues raised within the inquiry.
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