The Justice Secretary was at Buckingham Palace to swear in the new Archbishop of Canterbury - who is being enthroned today - students heard last week.

Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling told Ewell Castle School students that as Lord Chancellor he carries out duties on behalf of the Queen such as approving appointments.

Which is why he was in Buckingham Palace on February 26 reading out the oath of allegiance to the Queen for the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Justin Welby, after he was chosen to be the new archbishop.

The ceremony, which dates back to the 16th century, ensures the archbishop formally acknowledges the Queen as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Mr Grayling said he is involved in the appointment of all bishops.

Responding to questions from the students, he addressed a number of issues.

His role as Lord Chancellor

He said: "The job of the Lord Chancellor is to read out the oath. It’s a ceremony that has always been there."

Mr Grayling said he also signs his name at the bottom of official documents with Elizabeth R at the top and takes an important part in ceremonies such as the State Opening of Parliament wearing gold embroidered robes.

He said: "It’s humbling but also rather enjoyable and exciting. It’s a nice extra bit of the job."

Mr Grayling, who is a member of the Cabinet and the Privy Council, which advises the Queen on important issues, divides his time between the House of Commons and the Justice Ministry but manages to spend Fridays in his constituency.

Prisons policy

In terms of policy he said: "My main focus is on delivering change that will help us address the big financial challenges but also tackle the problem of reoffending."

He said changes were on the way to improve rehabilitation for released inmates and transform the nature of young offenders institutions.

He added: "What I'm trying to do is bring forward a new generation of institutions that is more education than detention."

Chris Huhne

When asked whether it was right to jail disgraced former energy minister Chris Huhne and his wife Vicky Pryce, he said justice must be served.

He said: "If the criminal justice system is not seen to take firm action against someone in a prominent position who has offended how can it be credible to people not in a prominent position?"

He added that although the Sun reported that Mr Huhne was woken up over the prison Tannoy, in fact there is no Tannoy in Wandsworth prison.

Mental health treatment

Mr Grayling said one of the reasons why there are now more prisoners than 20 years ago is because of drugs, with many offenders suffering from addiction.

He said: "Another reason, and something on my mind, is we have too many people in prison with mental health problems."

He said asylums, such as the Epsom hospital complex, were rightly closed but there was a danger some people no longer in institutions ended up in prison.

He said they were looking at alternatives for people with mental health problems who commit offences, adding: "Are we dealing with them in the right way?"

Cuts

In terms of economic policy Mr Grayling refuted the suggestion that the Government should stop spending cuts and instead invest to encourage growth.

He said: "You can’t solve a problem caused by too much borrowing by borrowing more. We are doing the only thing possible. It’s a long haul."