Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases relating to violence against women and girls.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government’s top priorities. We continue to expand the number of VAWG offences to reflect the evolving criminal justice landscape.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is improving the way existing offences are prosecuted. It has produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape and is now working in partnership with the police on a joint action plan to improve their collective handling of domestic abuse cases, applying the same principles from the work on rape which has driven marked improvement.

To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS is also producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published by Autumn 2024.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates her Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether she has agreed with Cabinet colleagues on the circumstances in which international law may supersede domestic legislation.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

The Law Officers’ Convention requires that it is not generally disclosed outside Government whether I have been asked to provide advice or the contents of any such advice. This is a longstanding principle of Cabinet collective agreement which enables the Government of the day to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

There have been no incidents of money lost to fraud and error by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in each of the last three financial years.

Information relating to detected fraud and error for the AGO is published in the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Reports and Accounts (HMPGTS Accounts). The HMPGTS Accounts for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 are available on GOV.UK at the following links: 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. The HMPGTS Accounts contain information relating to the AGO, Government Legal Department, and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year, it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report which is available on GOV.UK: Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020-21 Report was published in March 2023.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what guidance her Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

All departments in central government, including arms lengths bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by myself and the Attorney General (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether any costs were incurred by the Government Legal Department in relation to the libel action pursued by Professor Kate Sang against the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, following her letter of 23 October 2023 to UK Research and Innovation on that organisation's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

In line with normal Government Legal Department charging arrangements, any costs in relation to this matter have been or will be borne by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what guidance she has provided to Cabinet colleagues on when to publish (a) full and (b) summaries of legal advice.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Departments are responsible for procuring their own legal advice and may decide when and how to disclose that advice outside Government. However, advice provided by the Law Officers is subject to the Law Officers’ Convention and may not be disclosed outside Government without the Law Officers’ consent. This is a longstanding principle of Cabinet collective agreement.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions the Law Officers have been informed that ministers in other Government departments are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I cannot answer your question as to do so would be in breach of the Law Officers’ Convention.

Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code clearly states that the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers within her Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).

But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

I refer the Hon Member to my response to UIN 17533 tabled on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, if she will apply to the High Court to order a new investigation into the death of Zane Gbangbola during flooding in 2014.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Surrey Senior Coroner has already carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Zane Gbangbola’s death, taking into account a considerable amount of evidence. The Coroner, as an independent judicial office holder, drew his own conclusions based on this evidence.

If there is a belief that the evidence was not considered properly during the original inquest, or that there is new evidence available, the correct process is for an application to be made to the Attorney General asking her to apply to the High Court to quash the inquest and order a fresh investigation. The High Court would take this course of action if it believed that it would be in the interests of justice.

If the Hon Member or the victim’s family would like to make such an application to the Attorney General, they are welcome to contact the Attorney General’s Office at correspondence@attorneygeneral.gov.uk for information and guidance on how to apply.

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Found: constitution is quite nuanced and different from that in England and Wales in terms of the role of the Attorney-General

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Found: Our Attorney General and others are really working together to test the pathways going forward.

Found: Our Attorney General and others are really working together to test the pathways going forward.

Found: Our Attorney General and others are really working together to test the pathways going forward.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of opening an independent public inquiry with full powers to compel disclosure into the death of Zane Gbangbola in 2014.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Surrey Senior Coroner has already carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Zane Gbangbola’s death, taking into account a considerable amount of evidence.  The Coroner, as an independent judicial office holder, drew his own conclusions based on this evidence.

If there is a belief that the evidence was not considered properly during the original inquest, or that there is new evidence available, the correct process is for an application to be made to the Attorney General asking her to apply to the High Court to quash the inquest and order a fresh investigation. The High Court would take this course of action if it believed that it would be in the interests of justice.

I believe that this remains the proper process to follow. An assessment of the merits of an inquiry should be made at the appropriate time if, and when, the legal processes have been exhausted.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of opening an independent public inquiry into the death of Zane Gbangbola during flooding in 2014.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Surrey Senior Coroner has already carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Zane Gbangbola’s death, taking into account a considerable amount of evidence.  The Coroner, as an independent judicial office holder, drew his own conclusions based on this evidence.

If there is a belief that the evidence was not considered properly during the original inquest, or that there is new evidence available, the correct process is for an application to be made to the Attorney General asking her to apply to the High Court to quash the inquest and order a fresh investigation. The High Court would take this course of action if it believed that it would be in the interests of justice.

I believe that this remains the proper process to follow. An assessment of the merits of an inquiry should be made at the appropriate time if, and when, the legal processes have been exhausted.

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Found: (3) The Secretary of State must consult the Attorney General and the Commissioner for Victims

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