Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Attorney General:
If he will hold discussions with the Home Secretary on defining the term Reasonable Excuse for missing the deadline for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Geoffrey Cox
I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss important issues of common interest, including of course on matters relating to the UK’s exit from the EU. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the detail of those discussions.
The question of the deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme is a matter for the Home Secretary, but I can assure the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith that the Home Office will publish guidance on what will constitue ‘reasonable grounds’ for missing the deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Attorney General’s Office are currently holding 32 records that have reached their time limit for transfer to The National Archives which will be declared to The National Archive as part of the normal annual reporting process.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many officials of his Department are working full-time on preparations for the UK leaving the EU; and what proportion of his Department's staff that number represents.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Government Legal Department (GLD) has 35 officials in its Division advising the Department for Exiting the European Union. These officials are working on preparations for the UK to leave the EU and on legal issues arising from the existing EU relationship. GLD officials are also advising other Departments on preparations for the UK leaving the EU. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the number of officials working on this full-time across GLD as the number will fluctuate from time to time.
GLD has 1980 members of staff (excluding those on career breaks and inward loans to GLD) and the Department for Exiting the European Union Legal Advisers Division represents 1.77% of that total.