House of Lords
It is the final court of appeal on points of law for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in criminal cases and for the whole of the United Kingdom in civil cases. This work is carried out by the Law Lords.
It also plays a key role in passing criminal justice legislation. Three senior ministers with responsibility for the Criminal Justice System (Lord Falconer, the Attorney General and Baroness Scotland) sit in the House of Lords.
Currently, parliament is considering government proposals for constitutional reform, which amongst other things would lead to the creation of a Supreme Court to replace the House of Lords as the highest court in the land.
More information on the Supreme Court proposals and the House of Lords in general can be found through the links which appear on this page.