Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
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.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to support external stakeholders to contribute to the next annual review of disclosure.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
In conducting any review, it is essential we involve operational partners and stakeholders affected by the changes.
The 2023 update to the Attorney General’s Guidelines has been focused on digital evidence and a working group was established with representatives including the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, HM Revenue and Customs, National Crime Agency, police, Ministry of Justice, and Home Office. In addition, specific sessions were held with the legal defence community.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Annual Review of Disclosure, published on 26 May 2022, when the next annual review of disclosure will be carried out.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Publication of the next Annual Review is due shortly. Given the 2022 review of disclosure was extensive, the current review has focused on the disclosure of digital evidence. I will write to the honourable member with the updated guidance as soon as the revisions are published.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many confiscation orders of what value the Serious Fraud Office obtained in the last ten years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Serious Fraud Office has obtained 68 confiscation orders totalling £202,000,000 since 1st April 2014.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what costs the Serious Fraud office incurred in cases where individuals were acquitted in the last ten years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Serious Fraud Office has paid out £7.485 million in judge-directed acquittals in cases where individuals were acquitted during the past 10 years.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what provision the Serious Fraud Office made in its Annual Report 2022-23 for special payments for the case involving three executives of G4S.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Serious Fraud Office’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2022-23 included a provision of £6 million to cover any claims that could be made during the year in relation to casework outcomes, this would include any settlements that result from ongoing claims relating to G4S, which have yet to be agreed.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many corporate self-reports the Serious Fraud Office has received in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
In financial year 2018/19 the SFO received 7 corporate self-reports.
In financial year 2019/20 the SFO received 6 corporate self-reports.
In financial year 2020/21 the SFO received 3 corporate self-reports.
In financial year 2021/22 the SFO received 8 corporate self-reports.
In financial year 2022/23 the SFO received 8 corporate self-reports.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has spent on the (a) investigation into ENRC and (b) defending the proceedings brought against the SFO by ENRC.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As stated in the response to the Hon. Member’s previous question [45309] the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) investigation into ENRC is ongoing. The ENRC have brought two civil actions for alleged misfeasance against the SFO. This matter remains ongoing and as such the final costs are not yet determined.
The SFO does not disclose the costs associated with its cases as this risks prejudicing the administration of justice and is against the public interest. Information on how the SFO uses resources is published in aggregate in its Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office has spent on (a) the (i) investigation and (ii) prosecution of former Unaoil employees and (b) (I) defending and (II) paying appellants’ costs in the appeals of those cases.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) does not disclose the costs of its cases as this risks prejudicing the administration of justice and is against the public interest.
the SFO legal costs settled with defendants to date amount to £2.15m. The figure was published in the SFO's recent Annual Report and Accounts. Other settlements have yet to be confirmed.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) spent on the (a) Employment Tribunal Mr T Martin v Serious Fraud Office and (b) SFO’s subsequent appeal of that tribunal decision.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Employment Tribunal case in question initially concluded in February 2021. The cost to the SFO at that time was approximately £83,000.
The associated Employment Appeal Tribunal concluded in July 2022. The proceedings have been remitted to the Employment Tribunal, a date is yet to be confirmed, and costs will be finalised once this has concluded.