Ministry of Justice
Alex Norris has been Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice since 20 July 2026, according to the UK Parliament Members API. HM Treasury's PESA 2026 records total departmental expenditure limits of £14.1 billion in 2025-26, with plans of £15.1 billion for 2026-27. In 2025-26 prices, the department's total DEL was £12.2 billion in 2021-22 and £14.1 billion in 2025-26. The Cabinet Office's Civil Service Statistics 2026 count 97,505 civil servants (96,210 a year earlier) at 31 March 2026, by headcount. The median salary of its civil servants was £35,530, and 58.0% of those whose sex is recorded were women. The National Audit Office's most recent report listed for the department is "Electronic monitoring: improving resilience to meet increasing demand" (10 July 2026).
Spending
| Financial year | Total DEL | Resource DEL | Capital DEL | Administration budget | Total managed expenditure | Total DEL, 2025-26 prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 outturn | £10.1 billion | £8.7 billion | £1.4 billion | £413 million | £11.4 billion | £12.2 billion |
| 2022-23 outturn | £10.7 billion | £9.3 billion | £1.4 billion | £444 million | £11.7 billion | £12.1 billion |
| 2023-24 outturn | £11.9 billion | £10.4 billion | £1.5 billion | £477 million | £13.5 billion | £12.8 billion |
| 2024-25 outturn | £12.7 billion | £11.1 billion | £1.5 billion | £516 million | £14.0 billion | £13.1 billion |
| 2025-26 outturn | £14.1 billion | £11.8 billion | £2.2 billion | £537 million | £15.4 billion | £14.1 billion |
| 2026-27 plans | £15.1 billion | £12.7 billion | £2.4 billion | £549 million | £18.2 billion | £14.8 billion |
| 2027-28 plans | £15.3 billion | £13.0 billion | £2.3 billion | £554 million | £17.4 billion | £14.7 billion |
| 2028-29 plans | £15.6 billion | £13.2 billion | £2.3 billion | £527 million | £17.7 billion | £14.7 billion |
Source: HM Treasury, PESA 2026, Chapter 1. What DEL and total managed expenditure cover.
Civil service staff
| Measure | 31 March 2026 | 31 March 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount | 97,505 | 96,210 |
| Full-time equivalent | 91,355 | 90,100 |
| Median salary | £35,530 | – |
| Women, % of known sex | 58.0% | – |
| Responsibility level | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 320 |
| Grade 6 or Grade 7 | 4,950 |
| Senior or Higher Executive Officer | 16,225 |
| Executive Officer | 12,585 |
| Administrative Assistant or Administrative Officer | 39,625 |
| With an unreported grade | 23,800 |
| Organisation | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Justice (excl. agencies) | 8,420 |
| Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority | 385 |
| HM Courts and Tribunals Service | 16,490 |
| Legal Aid Agency | 1,355 |
| HM Prison and Probation Service | 68,980 |
| Office of the Public Guardian | 1,870 |
Source: Civil Service Statistics 2026 and 2025, Cabinet Office.
Secretary of State
Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op), MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley) has held the post of Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice since 20 July 2026. UK Parliament: career · Alex Norris's record in Parliament
National Audit Office reports
- Electronic monitoring: improving resilience to meet increasing demand 10 July 2026
- The costs of tackling drug harms in prisons 4 February 2026
- Ministry of Justice Accounts 2024-25 30 October 2025
- Building an effective and resilient Probation Service 24 October 2025
- Improving family court services for children 21 May 2025
- Increasing the capacity of the prison estate to meet demand 4 December 2024
- Reducing the backlog in the Crown Court 24 May 2024
- Government’s management of legal aid 9 February 2024
- Improving resettlement support for prison leavers to reduce reoffending 12 May 2023
- Progress on the courts and tribunals reform programme 23 February 2023
Related key figures: Prison population (England and Wales).
All departments · Budgets and OBR forecasts · Ministry of Justice on GOV.UK
Sources
- HM Treasury: Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, Chapter 1 tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
0e88d4904e74… - Cabinet Office: Civil Service Statistics 2026, statistical tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
d10012973a8f… - Cabinet Office: Civil Service Statistics 2025, statistical tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
a72891098003… - UK Parliament Members API: government posts · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
b15347608959… - National Audit Office: reports by department · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
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