Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Serious Fraud Office's news release of 20 June 2017, SFO charges in Barclays Qatar capital raising case, whether he has re-assessed the merits of maintaining the Serious Fraud Office as a separate office.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Government is committed to strengthening the UK's response to bribery, corruption, money laundering, fraud and other forms of economic crime.
The Government is continuing to review options to improve the effectiveness of the UK's response to economic crime, and any measures resulting from this work will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many projects in operation in his Department are related to the UK's exit from the EU.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Attorney General’s Office.
As the Government’s principal legal adviser, the Attorney General advises the Government on a range of legal issues, including on EU matters. The Attorney General’s Office is also working to support the delivery of a successful withdrawal from the European Union, in particular to ensure a smooth transition for superintended departments.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of women are employed by the Law Officers' Departments on an inner London pay structure in the following pay grades (a) Administrative Assistant, (b) Administrative Officer, (c) Executive Officer, (d) Higher Executive Officer, (e) Fast Streamer, (f) Senior Executive Officer, (g) Grade Seven, (h) Grade Six, (i) Senior Civil Service Band 1, (j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A, (k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 and (l) Senior Civil Service Band 3.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The proportion of women employed with the London pay structure against the specified grades, when compared to the total population of women employed with those grades, are:
grade | AGO | CPS | SFO | GLD | HMCPSI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Administrative Assistant | N/A | 0.0% | 100% | N/A | N/A |
(b) Administrative Officer, | 100% | 19.5% | 100% | 96% | 100% |
(c) Executive Officer | 100% | 25.5% | 100% | 96% | 75% |
(d) Higher Executive Officer | 100% | 22.9% | 100% | 99% | N/A |
(e) Fast Streamer | N/A | 0.0% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
(f) Senior Executive Officer | 100% | 36.3% | 100% | 91% | 100% |
(g) Grade Seven | 100% | 22.3% | 100% | 96% | 40% |
(h) Grade Six, | 100% | 38.2% | 100% | 98% | 33% |
(i) Senior Civil Service Band 1 | 100% | 16.7% | 100% | 98% | N/A |
(j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A | N/A | 0.0% | N/A | 100% | N/A |
(k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 | 100% | 100% | Nil | 100% | N/A |
(l) Senior Civil Service Band 3 | 100% | 0.0% | Nil | 100% | N/A |
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Serious Fraud Office is taking to address fraud by employees in large companies.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The role of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is to investigate and prosecute serious or complex frauds.
The SFO is committed to investigating and, where appropriate, prosecuting such serious frauds, as seen in the conviction of Tom Hayes for offences related to manipulating LIBOR.
The Government is consulting and will introduce a new criminal offence to apply to corporations who failed to prevent their agents from criminal facilitating tax evasion.
The Government will also consult on extending the criminal offence of “failure to prevent” from bribery to other economic crimes such as fraud and money laundering so that firms are properly held to account for criminal activity that takes place within them.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, when he last discussed the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights with the Home Secretary.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues, including the Home Secretary, to discuss important issues of common interest, including domestic and international human rights law. I am not able to provide information about any legal content of those discussions because, by longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have advised, or have not advised, and the content of their advice is not disclosed outside government.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues, including the Home Secretary, to discuss important issues of common interest, including domestic and international human rights law. I am not able to provide information about any legal content of those discussions because, by longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have advised, or have not advised, and the content of their advice is not disclosed outside government.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30579, which outsourced providers the Law Offices use for security services; and if he will request information from those providers on the rate of pay for security guards providing services to his Department.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The available information is detailed in the following tables.
Law Officers’ Department | Contracted security providers | Security Guards hourly pay rates |
Attorney General’s Office | Amey | Between £8.95 and £11.64 per hour |
Crown Prosecution Service | Bilfinger Europa Facility Management Limited | Between £8.09 and £10.31 per hour |
Law Officers’ Department | Contracted security providers | Security Guards hourly pay rates |
Government Legal Department1 | MITIE (One Kemble Street office, London) | Between £12.51 and £15.57 per hour |
MITIE (Southern House office, Croydon) | Between £7.75 and £9.73 | |
Walford Security (Riverside Chambers, Taunton) | £7.30 per hour |
1HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are tenants in the One Kemble Street building.
The Serious Fraud Office is a tenant in a managed building where security guarding is outsourced by the landlord, the Canadian High Commission. The details of these arrangements are subject to the contract between the landlord, the Canadian High Commission, and the outsourced security provider. The decision about whether to publish details is a matter for the Canadian High Commission.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much security guards in the Law Officers' Departments are paid.
Answered by Robert Buckland
None of the Law Officers’ Departments employ any security guards directly. Security costs for all departments are instead paid as part of wider contracts for building services.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what the full legal basis was for the RAF drone attack carried out in Syria on 21 August 2015; if he will arrange publication of the original legal guidance on which the decision to carry out the attack was made; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the questions from the Hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on the 12th of October 2015: (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-16/10466/
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues about a large number of important issues, including on domestic and international human rights law. By convention, the nature and content of any advice the Law Officers give is not disclosed outside Government.