Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many applications for permission to seek a new inquest under section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 have been granted in each of the past five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Our records indicate that the following number of fiats were granted in each of the last five years:
2021 – 4
2022 – 4
2023 – 11
2024 – 6
2025 – 14 to date.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what proportion of (a) named day questions and (b) ordinary written questions were responded to by her Department within the required timescale in (i) May 2025, (ii) June 2025, (iii) July 2025, (iv) August 2025, (v) September 2025, (vi) October 2025 and (vii) November 2025.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government recognises the importance of the effective and timely handling of written parliamentary questions (PQs).
The House of Commons Procedure Committee monitors departmental PQ performance and publishes a report of the government’s consolidated PQ data following the end of each session.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice the Attorney General provided about the proportionality and applicability to Northern Ireland under World Trade Organization rules of the generational smoking ban in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the likelihood of a legal challenge at the World Trade Organization.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers sit on the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee. As part of the process of approving a government Bill for introduction, as set out in the published Guide to Making Legislation, a legal issues memorandum is prepared for this Committee. This will set out all relevant legal issues.
Whether the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice outside of the PBL process is covered by the Law Officers’ Convention. This Convention provides that whether or not the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice, and the contents of any such advice, is not disclosed outside Government.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether anyone in the Attorney General's Office advised against proceeding in the China spy case for diplomatic reasons, and if so, what that advice was.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
No one in the Attorney General’s Office advised against proceeding in these cases for diplomatic (or any other) reasons.
As I set out in my evidence to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy on 29 October 2025, in this case, consent to prosecute was given on 3 April 2024 by the then Solicitor General. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage.
The decision to offer no evidence in this case was made by the CPS without input or advice from the Law Officers.
Decisions to not proceed because of evidential reasons are made independently by the CPS. The requirement on the CPS is to inform the Attorney General of the decision after it has been taken, not to consult prior to that decision.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice the Attorney General provided about the legality and applicability to Northern Ireland of the generational smoking ban in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the compatibility of that ban with the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers sit on the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee. As part of the process of approving a government Bill for introduction, as set out in the published Guide to Making Legislation, a legal issues memorandum is prepared for this Committee. This will set out all relevant legal issues.
Whether the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice outside of the PBL process is covered by the Law Officers’ Convention. This Convention provides that whether or not the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice, and the contents of any such advice, is not disclosed outside Government.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment made by the Law Officers.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The AGO has not made any direct ministerial appointments.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent discussions she has had with the Serious Fraud Office on the closure of Vashi jewellers.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
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.
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 and bribery 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.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for the Crown Prosecution Service to reach charging decisions in cases involving alleged breaches of Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 in (a) general and (b) the case of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service has issued proceedings under Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, in relation to one case, since it was commenced on 31 October 2024.
As a former Home Secretary, she will understand that the Government cannot comment on any live investigations or criminal proceedings.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Crown Prosecution Service has issued any recent guidance on the prosecution of offences related to illegal polygamous marriages conducted within the UK.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Bigamy is an offence contrary to section.57 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and is prosecuted as such. The CPS has not issued and has no plans to issue specific guidance.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the average daily office attendance rate was for Crown Prosecution Service staff in the most recent quarter for which figures are available.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of office attendance rates. Office attendance is monitored at a local level.