Lord Advocate
 Lord Advocate  | |
|---|---|
| The Chief Legal Counsel to the Scottish Executive and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters. |
The Lord Advocate is the Chief Legal Counsel to the Scottish Executive and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters.
Parliamentary and government role
Until devolution in 1999, all lord advocates were, by convention, members of the United Kingdom government, although the post was not normally in the Cabinet. Since devolution, the Lord Advocate has been an automatically ex officio member of the Scottish Government.[1]
From 1999 until 2007, the Lord Advocate attended the weekly Scottish Cabinet meetings. However, after the 2007 election, the new First Minister Alex Salmond decided that Lord Advocate would no longer attend the Scottish Cabinet, stating he wished to "de-politicise" the post.[2]
Until devolution, all lord advocates were, by convention, members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to allow them to speak for the government. Those who were not already members of either house received a life peerage on appointment. Post-devolution, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland are permitted to attend and speak in the Scottish Parliament ex officio, even if they are not Members of the Scottish Parliament.[3]
Office Holders on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Dorothy Bain | 21 June 2021 | |
| James Wolffe | 1 June 2016 | 21 June 2021 |
| Frank Mulholland | 19 May 2011 | May 2016 |
| Elish Angiolini | 12 October 2006 | 30 April 2011 |
| Colin Boyd | 24 February 2000 | 4 October 2006 |
| Donald Mackay | 1995 | 1997 |
| Peter Fraser | 1989 | 1992 |
References
- ↑ Scotland Act 1998, s 44.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070818135056/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=798472007
- ↑ Scotland Act 1998, s 27.
