Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2023 to Question 9197 on Attorney General: Written Questions, for what reason her Department has been unable to answer the Questions within the usual time period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I responded to your questions 6773 and 6774 on 24 January 2024. Please accept my apologies for the delay.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether her Department has had recent discussions with the Law Society on the management of Family Protection Trusts by firms of solicitors.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
While the Attorney General and I, and our department, regularly engage with the legal professions, we have not discussed the management of Family Protection Trusts by firms of solicitors with the Law Society.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many equalities impact assessments her Department completed in each of the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Under the Public Sector Equality Duty (the Duty), all public authorities, including Government departments, are required by law to ensure that they have due regard to certain equality considerations when carrying out their functions. While ‘equality impact assessments’ (EIAs) may be produced, there is no legal requirement for duty assessments to be recorded in a specific format.
The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) HR shared service provider and is therefore responsible for EIAs at the AGO. In the last five years, GLD has completed four EIAs when making substantive changes to HR policies and procedures (two EIAs in 2021 and two in 2023).
The AGO has completed no EIAs relating to policy changes. This aligns with its role as a department that does not hold policy in its own right.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4982, which other three individuals have received severance payments since 2015; in which years those severance entitlements arose; and what the cost of each payment was.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I would like to thank the Rt Hon Member for bringing this matter to our attention. Due to an oversight in the administrative process by officials, these three payments were not disclosed in the 2022-23 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. The payments will be properly reflected in the 2023-24 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts, in line with prevailing guidance on departmental accounts.
In the interests of transparency, I can confirm that in the 2022-23 period, the following payments were made:
My right hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) - £14,490 (August 2022)
My hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson) - £14,490 (October 2022)
My right hon. Friend the Member for Northampton North (Sir Michael Ellis) - £23,612 (November 2022)
All three severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to Ministers who cease to hold office and are not reappointed to the government within 3 weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when Ministers leave government.
I would note that such statutory provisions have existed across governments of all political colours.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4982, whether the three other severance payments to Ministers made since 2015 were recorded in her Department's annual reports and accounts.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I would like to thank the Rt Hon Member for bringing this matter to our attention. Due to an oversight in the administrative process by officials, these three payments were not disclosed in the 2022-23 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. The payments will be properly reflected in the 2023-24 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts, in line with prevailing guidance on departmental accounts.
In the interests of transparency, I can confirm that in the 2022-23 period, the following payments were made:
My right hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) - £14,490 (August 2022)
My hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson) - £14,490 (October 2022)
My right hon. Friend the Member for Northampton North (Sir Michael Ellis) - £23,612 (November 2022)
All three severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to Ministers who cease to hold office and are not reappointed to the government within 3 weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when Ministers leave government.
I would note that such statutory provisions have existed across governments of all political colours.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) prosecuting cases and (b) providing (i) information, (ii) assistance and (iii) support to victims.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) rolled out a new Crown Court operating model last year. This is a more effective and efficient approach to justice as it means the CPS serve more material on the defence at a much earlier stage so they can be more robust with case management and encourage earlier guilty pleas.
The CPS is transforming the service it provides to victims through its Victim Transformation Programme. The Programme is delivering an improved Universal Service offer for all victims of crime, which will build victims’ understanding of the role of the CPS, ensure that victims understand their rights, and signpost victims to relevant support.
The Victim Transformation Programme also includes an Enhanced Service offer for adult victims of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO). The Enhanced Service will include the offer of a meeting with a member of the prosecution team once a victim has been notified their case is proceeding to trial. This will give victims the opportunity to discuss what happens next and ask questions about the process. The Enhanced Offer will also include a dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in all CPS RASSO Units to help improve the quality of engagement with adult RASSO victims.
The Victim Transformation Programme builds on actions the CPS has already taken to improve the quality of the communications and the service it provides to victims. For example, the CPS has published an online guide for all victims of crime, which explains what they can expect when their case reaches the CPS and what their entitlements are as victims. This has had nearly 110,000 views in total since its launch in September 2022. It follows an earlier guide the CPS produced for victims of rape and serious sexual offences, which has had over 320,000 views since November 2021.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6413 on Government Legal Department, what the composition is of (a) her Department's Legal Advisers and (b) the Government Legal Department Litigation Group; and what (i) their legal qualifications and (ii) the professional standards to which they are required to adhere are.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The composition of the Ministry of Justice Legal Advisers Team, a division of the Government Legal Department (GLD), is as follows:
Description | Staff numbers |
Head of Division/Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2) | 1 |
Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1) | 6 |
Senior Lawyer (Grade 6) | 23 |
Lawyer (Grade 7) & Junior Lawyer (Legal Officer) | 37 |
Senior Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer | 0 |
Legal Trainee, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer | 10 |
The composition of the GLD's Litigation Group is as follows:
Description | Staff numbers |
Head of Division/Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2) | 1 |
Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1) | 30 |
Senior Lawyer (Grade 6) | 136 |
Lawyer (Grade 7) & Junior Lawyer (Legal Officer) | 336 |
Senior Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer | 51 |
Legal Trainee, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer | 203 |
These civil servants act on behalf of and in the name of the Treasury Solicitor, and pursuant to section 88 of the Solicitors Act 1974 are not required to be admitted or enrolled as a legal practitioner. They predominantly comprise of solicitors and barristers, the majority of which are admitted to practice in England and Wales, although some are qualified to practice in other jurisdictions.
The Costs Litigation Team includes qualified costs lawyers, in addition to which a small number of qualified legal executives are also employed in the Litigation Group. The balance of staff comprises legal trainees, apprentices, paralegals, and business support staff.
Qualified lawyers are required to adhere to the professional standards of their respective profession (solicitor, barrister, costs lawyer, or legal executive), and all staff are required to comply with the Civil Service Code.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the CPS in ensuring access to justice for victims of crime.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Speedy access to justice is in the interest of victims, defendants, witnesses, and society.
The Ministry of Justice is co-ordinating cross-government action to support the Crown Courts and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is engaging with key delivery partners to support longer term improvements. The national Criminal Justice Board, re-instated last year by the Lord Chancellor, is a welcomed opportunity to identify and tackle the challenges faced by the criminal justice system.
The CPS rolled out a new Crown Court operating model last year. This is a more effective and efficient approach to justice as it means the CPS serve more material on the defence at a much earlier stage so they can be more robust with case management and encourage earlier guilty pleas.
Further, the CPS has an important role in ensuring that victims are informed and supported. The CPS is transforming the service it provides to victims through its Victim Transformation Programme. The Programme is delivering an improved Universal Service offer for all victims of crime, which will build victims’ understanding of the CPS’ role, ensure that victims understand their rights, and signpost victims to relevant support.
The Victim Transformation Programme also includes an Enhanced Service offer for victims with the greatest needs. The first cohort of victims to receive the Enhanced Service offer will be adult victims of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO). The Enhanced Service will include the offer of a meeting with a member of the prosecution team once a victim has been notified their case is proceeding to trial. This will give victims the opportunity to discuss what happens next and ask questions about the process. The Enhanced Offer will also include a dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in all CPS RASSO Units to help improve the quality of engagement with adult RASSO victims.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Government Legal Department Business Plan 2023-24, published on 23 May 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the Pilgrim Quarter development as a worksite for the Government Legal Department.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Whilst Newcastle is not currently under consideration as a base for the Government Legal Department (GLD), the GLD's position might change in the future if demand for GLD services increases in the region.
GLD sites have been selected based on a model of developing a national organisation located in the proximity of its clients and using established legal markets which have strong pipelines for recruiting from diverse pools.
Decisions on sites are evidence-based, for example, on research and analysis of local academic and labour markets, whilst also reflecting various Government estate and property initiatives such as Places for Growth.
The Pilgrim Quarter Development will be the Government Hub for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the North East, housing 9,000 HMRC employees when complete. As GLD does not currently offer legal services to HMRC, we would not automatically co-locate within their sites.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, when she expects the Government Legal Department to publish its gender pay gap report for the financial year 2022-23.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government Legal Department will publish its gender pay gap report for the financial year 2022-23 by 30 March 2024.