Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent guidance has been issued to prosecutors regarding enforcement against companies engaging in misleading subscription practices.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets out new consumer protection rules for subscription contracts. Once the rules are in force, traders will have to provide clear information about subscription contracts before a consumer signs up, ensure that arrangements to exit the contract are straightforward, and provide a 14-day cooling-off period after a 12month+ contract or trial auto-renews.
The government has recently published its response to the Consultation on the Implementation of the new Subscription Contracts Regime: Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and local Trading Standards can take enforcement action against breaches of consumer protection law, including breaches of the existing and new subscription rules once they are in force. The DMCCA gives the CMA new powers to impose fines of up to 10% of global turnover on businesses who infringe consumer protection law. We will continue to engage with the CMA ahead of new regulations commencing.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Government press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, whether the Attorney General intends to amend the Legal Risk Guidance to facilitate the removal of consultation requirements; and what assessment has been made of the new approach on consultation with the Gunning Principles on consultation.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government is committed to identifying existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties that are slowing down delivery. All options are currently being considered to facilitate the removal of unnecessary consultation requirements.
The new approach has taken account of existing legal principles, as will any future changes. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise and challenge any changes to consultation requirements where they are legislative.
The Attorney General’s Guidance on legal risk neither precludes nor requires consultation. Its role is to assist lawyers and others advising on lawfulness and legal risk in government, by setting out a common framework to assess risk.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The AGO is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner.
Data has been withheld where disclosure could risk identifying individuals, and rigorous suppression rules have been applied to each year’s figures, including suppressing any proportions based on fewer than five employees. As a result, no disclosable proportions can be published for these years.
The AGO places strong emphasis on early intervention, regular feedback and development, with formal performance management processes used only where necessary and, on a case ‑by ‑case basis.
Where performance does not improve despite this additional support, dismissal may ultimately be considered.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many applications to the High Court the Attorney General's Office has made in each of the past five years to designate an individual as a vexatious litigant.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Law Officers have made applications to the High Court under s.42 Senior Courts Act 1981 in each of the last five years as follows:
2021 – 1
2022 - none
2023 - none
2024 – 2
2025 – 2 (3 further applications lodged with directions/hearing dates pending)
These dates relate to when the applications were made at a court hearing.
A list of individuals subject to an order under s.42 and the date the order was made is available online: Vexatious litigants - GOV.UK
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
No civil servant in the AGO was found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2024 or 2025.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) annual budget and (b) number of staff was for the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Proceeds of Crime unit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The annual budget and number of staff for the Crown Prosecution Service Proceeds of Crime Division in each of the last five years are as follows:
Financial Year (FY) ending | Annual Budget | Headcount |
|
FY22 | *Not available | 205 |
|
FY23 | £15,475,337 | 200 |
|
FY24 | £17,276,740 | 229 |
|
FY25 | £20,293,788 | 249 |
|
FY26 | £23,090,634 | 261 |
|
*Historical figures from the CPS financial planning system Anaplan do not date back to FY22
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) annual budget and (b) number of staff was for the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Fraud Division in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cannot provide the annual budget and number of staff for the Specialist Fraud Division (SFD) in each of the last five years. Some organisational restructuring to meet the challenges posed by the evolving nature of crime was required at the end of 22/23, leading to SFD becoming subsumed by the multidisciplinary Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID).
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Hermer on 23 February (HL14709), why they do not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted, referred, acquitted, or convicted of offences created by sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and section 1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. This data is derived from structured data fields completed by front line staff on individual case records held in the Case Management Information System (CMS) and reported in the Management Information System (MIS).
Within CMS management information (MI) is recorded at the level of defendants in a set of proceedings rather than against the individual offence or offences a defendant may be charged. This includes defendants charged with offences of s58 and s59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and s1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929. To identify the prosecution outcomes of offences would require a manual review of case records which would be at disproportionate cost.
The CPS is replacing its current Case Management System. This replacement provides opportunities to design improved management information capabilities to meet future reporting requirements.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to ensure that appropriate oversight is given to the decision by the Serious Fraud Office to not open an investigation into the Vashi diamonds case.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The SFO is a relatively small, highly specialised government department that is permitted by law to investigate only the most serious and complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption affecting the UK. Decisions on which cases to investigate are taken independently by the SFO, with the Director determining whether to authorise an investigation in accordance with the criteria set out in the Director’s Statement of Principle.
To assist with my oversight of the Serious Fraud Office, I hold regular superintendence meetings with the SFO’s executive team to keep me appraised of relevant SFO casework matters.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many pupil barristers who undertook pupillage with the Government Legal Department left upon completion in each of the past five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government Legal Department’s (GLD) Legal Trainee Scheme lasts for two years in total. Those who join the GLD as pupil barristers qualify as barristers at the end of Year 1 of the Training Scheme (the pupillage period). They then remain on the Training Scheme for a further 12 months, during which they gain wider experience of GLD’s legal work.
The number of pupil barristers who left upon completion of the two‑year Training Scheme in each of the past five years is as follows: