The power of the department reached its peak after the Courts Act 1971 was passed, which modernised the English court system and put the Lord Chancellor's Department in direct control. Such a large increase in powers necessitated a change of office; previously the department had worked out of the Lord Chancellor's offices in the House of Lords, but it now moved to dedicated offices in Whitehall. The passing of the Supreme Court Act 1981 and a 1992 move that transferred responsibility for the Magistrates Courts to the department also served to increase its responsibilities. The department ceased to exist as an independent body in 2003, when its functions were transferred to the newly created Department for Constitutional Affairs (which itself became the Ministry of Justice in 2007).