About the AGO and what we cover
The Attorney General and Solicitor General (the Law Officers) are the chief legal advisers to the Government and are responsible for all crown litigation. They have overall responsibility for the work of:
Treasury Solicitors Department (TSol)
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO)
Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI)
National Fraud Authority (NFA)
They also have a statutory duty to superintend the discharge of the duties of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP, head of the CPS), the Director of the SFO and the Director of the RCPO (incorporated into the CPS from 1 January 2010). From 12 April 2010 the Attorney General also no longer oversees the functions of the DPP for Northern Ireland.
The Law Officers have certain public interest functions, for example, in taking action to appeal unduly lenient sentences; bringing proceedings under the Contempt of Court Act; giving consents for prosecutions; issuing a nolle prosequi; referring to the Court of Appeal on a point of law; and protecting charities.
The Law Officers also deal with questions of law arising on Government Bills and with issues of legal policy. They are concerned with all major international and domestic litigation involving the Government and questions of European Community and International Law as they may affect Her Majesty's Government, and on occasion - where it does not conflict with their Governmental role - they give advice to Parliament on procedural questions, matters of standards and privileges, and on the meaning and effect of proposed legislation.