Attorney General

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) provides legal advice and support to the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers) who give legal advice to government. The AGO helps the Law Officers perform other duties in the public interest, such as looking at sentences which may be too low.



Secretary of State

Lord Hermer
Attorney General

Lord Hermer
Attorney General

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Lord Thomas of Gresford (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Shadow Attorney General
Ben Maguire (LD - North Cornwall)
Liberal Democrat Shadow Attorney General

Conservative
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Attorney General
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Tuesday 11th February 2025
Select Committee Docs
None available
Select Committee Inquiry
None available
Written Answers
Monday 10th March 2025
Attorney General: Social Media
To ask the Solicitor General, how many social media accounts their Department operates; and how much their Department spent on …
Secondary Legislation
Wednesday 26th February 2025
Bradford (Electoral Changes) Order 2025
This Order makes changes to electoral arrangements for the city of Bradford following recommendations made by the Local Government Boundary …
Bills
None available
Dept. Publications
Thursday 27th February 2025
17:14

Attorney General Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

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Bills currently before Parliament

Attorney General does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Attorney General has not passed any Acts during the 2024 Parliament

Attorney General - Secondary Legislation

This Order makes changes to electoral arrangements for the city of Wakefield following recommendations made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The area of the city remains unchanged.
This Order makes changes to electoral arrangements for the city of Bradford following recommendations made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. This Order does not change the boundary of the city itself.
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Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

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Attorney General has not participated in any petition debates
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50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

5th Mar 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many of her Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.

The Attorney General’s Office has not seconded any officials from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many social media accounts their Department operates; and how much their Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact.

Social media is an essential part of government communications and is used to inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

The Attorney General’s Office operates five social media accounts across X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Threads. It has not spent any money on social media subscriptions or advertisements in the last three years.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many people are prosecuted under s21 of the Solicitors Act 1974 each year.

The Crown Prosecution Service holds data on the number of prosecutions where a charge has been authorised and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts for specific offences.

The below table provides details of the number of offences charged under section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974 in the last ten years.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024 (up to end of September)

5

3

2

3

2

1

0

0

0

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effective prosecution of wildlife crime in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of wildlife crime in Lincolnshire and across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has fourteen Areas (regional teams) across England and Wales – the CPS East Midlands Area serves the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire including the cities of Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, and the county of Rutland.

More broadly, we have announced that the CPS will receive an additional £49m to support victims of crime and transform the services they provide to the public.

We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

CPS prosecutors also work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS also provides legal guidance on wildlife, rural, and heritage crime, which is available to all its prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases. It also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effective prosecution of (a) environment, (b) heritage, and (c) wildlife crime in the Forest of Dean constituency.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to protect the environment, including our wildlife and our heritage sites across the country. This includes the constituency of the Forest of Dean which is covered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Area South West.

Local CPS teams work alongside partner organisations in the three police force areas in the South West: Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, and Gloucestershire to tackle environment, heritage, and wildlife crime, including in the Forest of Dean constituency.

More broadly, this Government is introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We have announced that the CPS will receive an additional £49m to support victims of crime and transform the services they provide to the public, and we are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

CPS prosecutors work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS also provides legal guidance on wildlife, rural, and heritage crime, which is available to all its prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases. It also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many staff her Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024.

The Attorney General’s Office has never seconded any staff from Palantir.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

The Attorney General’s Office offers carers emergency leave for dependants with pay in accordance with the department’s special leave policy. Employees can take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer-term arrangements.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

No. There are not any requirements for Attorney General's Office staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has staff based in five sites across the country; 102 Petty France, London; 1 Ruskin Square, Croydon; 7-8 Wellington Place, Leeds; 2 Rivergate, Bristol; and Three New Bailey, Manchester. GLD staff in each of these locations are expected to book a desk using the dedicated desk booking system; client-based legal teams follow local protocols.

HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate books desks for staff attending both their offices through systems run by the GLD for London and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (as the major occupier) for the York office.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has staff based in 37 sites across the country, a full list of which is annexed to this answer. CPS staff in each of these locations are expected to book a desk using the dedicated desk booking system; client-based legal teams follow local protocols.

Staff at the Serious Fraud Office are not required to book a desk in advance to attend the office.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
13th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

I am aware of the terrible cases that have occurred in your constituency and these tragic cases are an example as to why we have committed to halving instances of knife crime in a decade as part of this Government’s Plan for Change.

Violent crime is too high, too many lives are still being lost to knives, and we too often see the consequences of these heinous crimes in the press. By banning zombie knives, tackling online sales via Ronan’s Law and working closely with community leaders, this Government has already taken robust action to tackle this issue.

We will continue to take action to reduce knife crime further. I am committed to the Crown Prosecution Service playing a full part in this critical work, and it requires a whole system effort.

This is an issue that is regularly discussed at Mission Boards and which I will continue discussing with Ministerial colleagues and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Attorney General has recused himself from providing legal advice on matters relating to historical allegations against armed forces personnel.

By long-standing convention, the fact that the Attorney General may or may not have advised, and the content of his advice, is not disclosed outside government, as is reflected in the Ministerial Code.

As I set out to the House on 23 January and 6 February, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process predates the appointment of the Attorney General and sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict.

This rigorous process for identifying and managing conflicts sits alongside the system relating to ministerial interests, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Both the Director General of the AGO and the Independent Adviser were provided with the Attorney General’s list of conflicts following his appointment.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the report by the University of Bath entitled New report reveals potential $28 million tax discrepancy involving British American Tobacco in Kenya, published on 12 February 2025, if the Serious Fraud Office will reopen the investigation into British American Tobacco.

Following a three-year investigation, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) determined in January 2021 that this case did not meet the evidential test as defined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it was closed.

As is long-standing practice, the SFO can neither confirm nor deny if it is considering reopening the investigation into British American Tobacco Plc.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30615 on Attorney General: Mauritius, whether the proposed UK-Mauritius Treaty on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory was discussed during the courtesy meeting.

Pursuant to my answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30615, the Attorney General’s meeting did not constitute part of formal negotiations. The Attorney General and his Mauritian counterpart discussed relations between our two countries; their respective responsibilities as two Attorneys General; and referenced the ongoing negotiations regarding the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to ensure the impartiality of her Department's legal advice on compensation claims against British soldiers.

Impartiality of legal advice is vitally important for all government lawyers. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process predates the appointment of the Attorney General and sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict, in order to ensure impartiality.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Attorney General has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the proposed UK-Mauritius Treaty on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory; and whether the Attorney General has provided the Government with legal advice on the UK’s sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

As with any policy area, policy questions should be directed to the responsible Government department.

Regarding legal advice, paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states: “By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, and it applies to your question.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes the Government Legal Department has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Government Legal Department is making limited use of generative AI (“Gen AI”) powered by large language models. Since December 2024, GLD has been running a trial of Microsoft’s M365 Copilot, which now has 100 participants and will shortly increase to 150. GLD’s AI Programme is considering where AI may be used and provide tangible benefits within specific work areas and processes, including proposed testing of online legal research tools with Gen AI-based capabilities.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many (a) meetings and (b) discussions (i) the Attorney General and (ii) his officials have had with the representatives of the Government of Mauritius since July 2024.

Since July 2024, the Attorney General and his officials have had one meeting with a representative of the Government of Mauritius.

This was a courtesy meeting with Mr Gavin Glover, the visiting Attorney General of Mauritius, in January 2025.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many unclaimed estates are in Bromsgrove constituency.

The Bona Vacantia Division (“the Division”) of the Government Legal Department acts on behalf of the Treasury Solicitor (the Crown’s Nominee) to administer bona vacantia estates.

The Division currently has two unclaimed bona vacantia estates in the Bromsgrove constituency, neither of which involve the deceased owning property.

Current Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates are listed on the Division’s Unclaimed Estates List, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unclaimed-estates-listhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unclaimed-estates-list.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
7th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle stalking.

This Government is serious about tackling stalking, as part of our ambition to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

For over seven years there have been yearly increases in the number of stalking offences which received a first hearing in the magistrates' courts. In 2018/19, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recorded 2,208 cases, and in 2023/24 these had more than doubled to 5,859.

In November 2024, the CPS and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan which prioritises improving the recognition and identification of behaviour driven offending including stalking. This applies to domestic and non-domestic forms of this crime.

Since publication, work has already commenced to develop a shared definition of high-harm, high-risk repeat offending and to update the police and CPS joint protocol on the appropriate handling of stalking offences. Informed by operational insights from police and stalking leads in the CPS, this work will ensure police and prosecutors are better equipped to recognise and handle stalking and identify the offenders who pose the greatest threat.

Protective orders are an important tool in safeguarding victims of stalking. On 22 January, the CPS updated its prosecution guidance on stalking or harassment emphasising that prosecutors must consider breaches of orders within the wider context of offending and, where new offences are present, that they are charged in addition to breaches. This Government has also committed to extend the reach of Stalking Protection Orders so they can be applied for on acquittal, as well as on conviction.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
5th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, if she will publish the total cost to the public purse for the provision of diversity, equality and inclusion courses for staff in her Department in 2024.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) remains committed to making the step changes required to create a more inclusive environment, enabling all staff, irrespective of background, to deliver high quality work at the Department.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in learning and development training is understood to refer to anything with the objective of improving EDI in the AGO, regardless of whether it is called EDI or not.

The AGO conducted a training course on bullying, discrimination and harassment in August 2024. Nine members of staff attended, and the cost of the course was £2,475.98. It referred to types of discrimination related to protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010 and employers’ responsibilities.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
10th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how much has been spent on external legal advice on international law since 5 July 2024.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has spent £0 on external legal advice that covers international law matters commissioned from 5th July 2024.

However, the AGO has spent £7,028.40 for external legal advice covering international law matters that was sought and received by the previous administration prior to 5th July 2024.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on backlogs of court cases.

I welcome the strong action already taken by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor to bring down the outstanding caseload that this Government inherited, and measures introduced to help ensure victims have swift access to justice.

These actions include extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers to 12 months and funding additional Crown Court sitting days, taking them to the highest levels since financial year 2015/16 .

In the longer term,  the Lord Chancellor has commissioned an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to consider the merits of wider reforms, as well as assessing the efficiency and timeliness of court processes.

These important issues have been discussed as part of our cross-government approach through the Safer Streets Mission Board.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of rural crime.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime to ensure the safety of those in all communities.

We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthening neighbourhood policing, and introducing robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS provides legal guidance on Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime, which is available to all its prosecutors, to assist them in dealing with these cases. They also provide specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of people who commit hate crime.

Hate crime is truly abhorrent and can have a devastating impact on victims and their communities.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes such offending very seriously.

The CPS works closely with the police to build robust cases and secure prosecutions for these offences.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how much (a) her Department and (b) each of its Arm’s Length Bodies has spent on external public relations since 5 July 2024; and which firms that funding went to.

Public relations activity is a subset of communication spend. As such, this data is not held. The Government Communication Service encourages the prioritisation of low and no cost public relations activities wherever possible.

It is recommended that all external communications support should be procured through approved government frameworks, with strict controls in place to ensure cost-effectiveness.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
28th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the likely outcome of the arbitration on the sandeel fishing ban; and what steps she is taking to prepare for an unfavourable outcome.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
28th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK's ban on sandeel fishing.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
28th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s compliance with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU in relation to the ban on sandeel fishing.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes the Crown Prosecution Service has used AI in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is exploring new and existing technologies, including AI, to enhance efficiency. AI has the potential to support the CPS day-to-day in the delivery of justice. I am keen to explore the opportunities for efficiency that this new technology can bring, being mindful of ethical considerations.

A pilot of Microsoft Copilot concluded in August 2024, with approximately over 400 staff across the organisation given access to Copilot to assist them in everyday tasks such as summarising emails, creating PowerPoint presentations, and analysing excel data.

The scheme established that that Copilot reduced the amount of time it took staff to complete administrative and day-to-day tasks and has the capacity to save thousands of hours across the organisation.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes the Serious Fraud Office has used AI in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

During the past 12 months, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been trialling the use of Technology Assisted Review (TAR), utilising AI, on a live criminal case. The trial demonstrated that TAR could help meet legal disclosure obligations more efficiently.

The trial adhered to relevant disclosure guidelines and officials are still making the decisions on what is in fact relevant and what is disclosed.

Following the success of the trial, the SFO is planning to use TAR in more SFO cases in the future.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what contracts (a) BFS Group Limited and (b) subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited hold with (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department.

The Attorney General’s Office and Law Officers’ Departments (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Serious Fraud Office, and Government Legal Department) do not hold any contracts with BFS Group Limited or with subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has had discussions with the Prime Minister through (a) WhatsApp messages, (b) text messages, (c) email, (d) written correspondence and (e) verbal exchanges on (i) the potential impact of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on compensation liabilities for individuals interned during the 1970s and (ii) negotiations with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, and it applies to your question.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Attorney General has provided the (a) Permanent Secretary and (b) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards a list of his (a) paid and (b) unpaid fees further to his past employment at Matrix Chambers.

As I set out to the House on Thursday 23 January, and the Attorney General repeated in the House of Lords on Monday 27 January, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process predates the appointment of the Attorney General and sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict.

This rigorous process for identifying and managing conflicts sits alongside the system relating to ministerial interests, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Both the Director General of the AGO and the Independent Adviser were provided with the Attorney General’s list of conflicts following his appointment.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

The Attorney General’s Office does not offer its staff shared parental leave from their first working day. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave’.

However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

The Attorney General’s Office receives shared HR services from the Government Legal Department (GLD) and the criteria for applying for paternity leave is that the individual must have worked for GLD for at least 26 continuous weeks or immediately prior to the 15th week before the baby’s due date (where there is a pregnancy) and for adoption, either by the end of the week they are matched with the child (UK adoptions) or the date the child enters the UK or when they want their pay to start (overseas adoptions).

Some staff could qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service with their department because they already have qualifying service with another Civil Service organisation.

Under the Employment Rights Bill currently before Parliament, subject to Parliamentary approval paternity leave will become a day one right across the Civil Service.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
15th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have used AI in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country


Ministers have not used AI in the Department in their roles as Law Officers.


A small number of officials within the Department have been piloting the use of a Microsoft 365 application ‘CoPilot’ which can be used to summarise content and meetings, assisting with drafting content and interrogating information. ChatGPT has also previously been used in this manner.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
14th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.

This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
17th Jan 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is the policy of the Advocate General for Northern Ireland to recuse himself from discussions of any issue in Northern Ireland which may directly or indirectly involve any of his former clients.

I am the Government’s chief legal adviser but, by long-standing convention, the fact that I, or a fellow Law Officer, may have advised or not advised, and the content of our advice, is not disclosed outside government, as is reflected in the Ministerial Code.

This is a long-standing policy observed by successive governments. It is also an important legal principle, as confirmed by the Bar Council, that “barristers do not choose their clients, nor do they associate themselves with their clients’ opinions or behaviour by virtue of representing them”.

Law Officers, by their experience and professional nature will sometimes have an extensive legal background and may have previously been involved in a wide number of past cases. That is why there is a robust system for considering and managing any conflicts that may arise, in line with the professional obligations of lawyers.

There is the established process on ministerial declarations, with previous employment and interests having been published for the public record. In general, there has always been an established rigorous system in place within the Attorney General’s Office to ensure that a Law Officer would not be consulted on any matter that could give rise to a potential conflict of interest. This system sits alongside the declaration of interest system overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

If a Law Officer publicly confirmed specific matters where they were recused, this would likely disclose that the other Law Officer was therefore giving advice or infer that legal advice had been requested by the Government on a specific matter, which would risk a breach of the Law Officers’ Convention. In addition, a lawyer cannot breach a client’s confidentiality in relation to advisory work that had previously not been made public so this would limit the ability of a Law Officer to publish in full their previous caseload and conflicts schedule. In that regard, I have been through the same process as previous Law Officers, none of which have gone as far to proactively disclose their specific conflicts of interest for the reasons set out above.

As I set out to the Justice Select Committee (15 January 2025), I confirmed that as a private barrister prior to my appointment as Attorney General, I represented Gerry Adams on an issue unconnected to the Legacy Act.

Lord Hermer
Attorney General
9th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what industrial disputes are ongoing within (a) their Department and (b) each of the arm’s length bodies connected to their Department; how many (i) staff and (ii) contractors are involved in each dispute; what the form of industrial action is in each dispute; which recognised trade union is involved in each dispute; what the substantive matter is that is being disputed in each case; and what steps he plans to take to end each dispute.

There are no ongoing industrial disputes within the Attorney General’s Office, Government Legal Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Serious Fraud Office, or Crown Prosecution Service.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) the Attorney General's Office and (ii) each of its arm’s length bodies.

There has been no change in the Attorney General’s Office’s management of artwork or heritage assets since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the ministerial department.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
19th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, how many agricultural crime offences in Calderdale District resulted in suspects being (a) charged, (b) convicted and (c) not convicted in each year since 2010.

The Government recognises the impact that crimes of theft have on all our communities, whether rural or urban, and we are committed to tackling the problem.

There is no specific legal definition of agricultural crime and therefore data on it cannot be collated. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds data on the number of prosecutions where the principal offence category was theft and handling stolen goods.

It is important to note that CPS principal offence category data is only extracted from the Case Management Information System once the prosecution case has been finalised, this means that the following offence data only relates to completed prosecutions and not any ongoing prosecutions.

From 2010 to date, the CPS has prosecuted 57,641 cases with a theft and handling stolen goods principal offence category originating from the West Yorkshire police force area. Of these, 52,286 resulted in a conviction and only 5,355 resulted in an acquittal.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
7th Jan 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, what the Government's policy is on the potential prosecution of UK nationals returning to the UK after serving as volunteer fighters in the Ukrainian armed forces if they hold (a) both Ukrainian and UK citizenship, (b) sole UK citizenship but born to Ukrainian parents and (c) sole UK citizenship without Ukrainian antecedents; and whether official guidance for volunteers returning to the UK is publicly available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice to Ukraine states: 'If you travel to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, your activities may amount to offences under UK legislation. You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK'. Their full advice is available here: Ukraine travel advice - GOV.UK.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which acts independently of police and government, will consider any information that is referred by the police and any decision to prosecute will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

To date, the CPS has not prosecuted any cases involving UK-linked foreign fighters in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
18th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to support fraud victims throughout the recovery process.

This Government is committed to tackling fraud and supporting the victims of fraud.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The CPS is responsible for prosecuting fraud, among other criminal offences, which is primarily investigated by the police in England and Wales. The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption.

The CPS continues to implement its Economic Crime Strategy 2025 which includes ensuring victims and witnesses are at the heart of every case. In September 2021, the CPS developed guidance focused on prosecutors’ engagement with victims of fraud, improving the experience of victims through close work with investigators to have a joint victim and witness engagement strategy from the outset of a case.

More broadly, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is currently developing a new version of the Victims’ Code, which is a practical and useful guide for all victims of crime, including victims of fraud. The CPS and SFO are actively engaging with them on this. The CPS is also working closely with the MoJ to support the delivery of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

The SFO has a dedicated Victim and Witness Care Unit which looks after the needs of victims in all its cases and delivers its obligations in line with the current Victims’ Code.

The SFO also provides bespoke information on relevant support services and makes referrals for ongoing support to local Police and Crime Commissioner commissioned victim services on behalf of victims. It also has a tailored needs assessment process which takes into account the length of time SFO investigations can take, and keeps victims updated via the SFO’s website and individually on the investigation, including on matters such as appeals and ongoing proceeds of crime recovery processes. A dedicated witness care officer will also attend court to be with witnesses for the duration of a trial.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases relating to violence against women and girls in Surrey.

In 2023-24, in the Surrey police force area, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted 487 cases flagged for domestic abuse and 41 cases flagged for rape.

The CPS uses thematic monitoring flags to track progress and performance surrounding certain types of cases within its case management system (CMS). "Flags " are identified and applied by lawyers and administrative staff. Monitoring flags currently exist within CMS for the following VAWG-related offences: rape; domestic abuse; so-called honour abuse / violence; forced marriage; and child abuse.

These figures for 2023-24 represent an increase from 434 and 30 in 2022-23, respectively.

The CPS has already produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria and launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing in November 2024. The early results of improvements in partnership working with policing under the plan have already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.

In September 2024, the CPS prosecuted the third conviction for female genital mutilation (FGM) and the first conviction of conspiring to commit FGM in England and Wales. This marks a significant milestone and demonstrates the growing effectiveness of prosecuting these cases.

However, more can be done to increase prosecution rates for VAWG, in Surrey and across the country. This Government’s ambition is to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, as part of our Safer Streets Mission, and delivering effective prosecutions is a key part of this.

To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, the CPS is producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published in spring 2025.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 9604 on Attorney General: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.

As per the former Solicitor General’s (Sarah Sackman KC MP) answer of 31 October to Question 9604, following the dissolution of the last Parliament on 30 May 2024 and before the General Election on 4 July 2024, officials in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) arranged for the two ministerial offices to be modestly refurbished. The costs are set out in that answer.

No other refurbishment has taken place between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, how many alcohol industry representatives Ministers in her Department have met since July 2024.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
12th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, how many people have been charged with offences relating to protests on climate change in the last year.

From 1 October 2023 to 30 June 2024 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised charges in respect of 104,696 suspects for all criminal offences. Of these charges, the CPS is unable to identify which offences involved defendants who were taking part in a protest without a manual review of each case which would incur disproportionate cost.

The CPS publishes quarterly bulletins of data tables and summaries of main trends as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency on prosecution performance. This information can be found here: CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
12th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, how many people have been charged with offenses relating to protests against Elbit Systems UK's arms sales to Israel since (a) 8 October 2023, (b) 26 January 2024 and (c) 2 September 2024.

From 1 October 2023 to 30 June 2024 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised charges in respect of 104,696 suspects for all criminal offences. Of these charges, the CPS is unable to identify which offences involved defendants who were taking part in a protest without a manual review of each case which would incur disproportionate cost.

The CPS publishes quarterly bulletins of data tables and summaries of main trends as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency on prosecution performance. This information can be found here: CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)