Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average cost per hour was of legal advice to his Department over the last 12 months.

Cabinet Office predominantly receives legal advice in-house from the Government Legal Department, which charges for its work on various bases, including fixed fee arrangements and hourly charging. However, there are special cases where we need to seek advice from external legal firms and counsel; in these circumstances, the Cabinet Office ensures the costs are competitive and value for money is achieved by using competed frameworks for external firms and the Attorney General’s panel of counsel.

Since much of the advice is not charged for on an hourly basis, the department cannot calculate the average hourly cost of legal advice.