Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2026, to Question 110793, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, how many and what proportion of full-time staff on full pay (1.0 FTE) in (a) her Department and (b) Crown Prosecution Service work compressed hours over a four day week.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The tables below contain data for the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) relevant to the question.

AGO

CPS

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the letter entitled, Simplification and Agency of Government - Letter to all ministers, of 7 September 2026, whether she plans to legislate to disapply the Gunning principles and case law on consultation requirements and expectations, including R v London Borough of Brent ex parte Gunning (1985).

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the answer of 28 August 2026, to Question 17707, on Attorney General’s Office staff, if she will list each external organisation that has seconded staff to the department since July 2026, and each organisation to which Civil Servants have been seconded.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Since July 2026, no staff have been seconded to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) from external organisations. During the same period, no AGO civil servants have been seconded to external organisations.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2026 to Question 3763 and with reference to the Answer of of 19 January 2026 to Question 104195 on Government Communication Service: Staff, how many headcount staff in (a) the Attorney General’s Office and (b) each of its superintended departments are (i) members of the Government Communication Network and (ii) embedded communicators who are not counted as members of the Government Communication Network.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Government Communication Service (GCS) is the professional network of all communications staff across Government.

The table below contains the headcount for the Attorney General’s Office and each of its superintended departments who are communications professionals.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the letter, "Simplification and Agency of Government - Letter to all ministers", of 7 September 2026, if she will make it her policy to place the updated legal risk guidance in the Library of the House once it has been produced.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

My updated Legal Risk guidance was published on GOV.UK on 8th September 2026. I have directed my officials to place a copy in the Library of the House.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many successful prosecutions for corporate manslaughter have been brought in each of the last five years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

Corporate manslaughter cases are considered by the CPS Special Crime Division, which handles some of the CPS’s most complex and sensitive casework.

Our manual records confirm the number of prosecution cases in which there was a conviction for corporate manslaughter in each of the last five years is as follows:

• 2022 – 3

• 2023 – 3

• 2024 – 2

• 2025 – 1

• 2026 – 0

The CPS does not collect data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Therefore, this update is based upon our collated manual records that may be subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. These figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of successful criminal  prosecutions brought following the Grenfell tragedy.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what guidance the Crown Prosecution Service provides to prosecutors on the evidential use of social media content apparently recorded or uploaded by a defendant in prosecutions for (a) theft, (b) burglary, (c) vehicle crime and (d) dangerous driving.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The CPS does not provide specific guidance on the use of social media content as evidence in prosecutions for offences of (a) theft, (b) burglary, (c) vehicle crime and (d) dangerous driving.

However, prosecutors are required to use all available relevant and admissible evidence (including social media content) in prosecutions for all types of offence (including theft, burglary, vehicle crime and dangerous driving) in order to build the strongest possible cases.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether departments are required to record formally how a proposed statutory reporting or consultation requirement has satisfied the Government's “higher bar”; and whether that assessment will be included in explanatory notes or impact assessments accompanying legislation.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 4161, on Government departments: marketing, how much has been spent on branded goods and merchandise by (a) the Attorney General’s Office and (b) each of its superintended departments since the Government Chief Commercial Officer letter was sent; on what items, and at what cost.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The table below contains data for the Attorney General's Office and each of its superintended departments relevant to the question.

Total Spend on branded goods and merchandise

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many Senior Civil Service away days have taken place in calendar year 2026 to date; in what specific venues across the Attorney General’s Office and each of its superintended departments; at what cost; and if there was any associated social or team-building activity at public expense.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) held no Senior Civil Service (SCS) away days in calendar year to date 2026.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has held two SCS away days, held at the Civil Service Club. The total cost was £1,390.75. There were no associated social or team-building activity at public expense.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has held two centrally organised SCS away days. They were held at Herbet Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, Exchange House and at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. There were no costs attached for the venue or associated social or team-building activity.

The Crown Prosecution Service has held one SCS away day, at the Manchester Marriott Hotel Picadilly. The total cost of this event was £37,367.60.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2026 to Question HL2133, on International Court of Justice, what non-privileged advice and guidance he has given to the Government on the weight to be given to advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by the Law Officers, or requested of the Law Officers, and the Convention applies to your question.

The Law Officers’ Convention can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“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 13 October 2025]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what advice have the Law Officers given on the personal legal liability of a Secretary of State for actions of their department; and what legal indemnifications are in place for Ministers.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by the Law Officers, or requested of the Law Officers, and the Convention applies to your question.

The Law Officers’ Convention can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“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 13 October 2025]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will appoint a new director of the Serious Fraud Office.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

Preparation to recruit the next Director of the Serious Fraud Office is progressing as planned and the Attorney General intends to publish the job advert at the end of this month. This will be a rigorous recruitment exercise in line with the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles. It is designed to attract and test the strongest field of talent and the selection process is expected to last at least until the end of November. The Attorney General expects to appoint a permanent Director by the end of this year, to take up the post in 2027.

The SFO plays a critical role in prosecuting fraudsters, delivering justice for victims and ridding the economy of corruption, making Britain better off. It is vital that we take the time to find and appoint the correct candidate to lead the organisation for the next five years.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will appoint the new Director of the Serious Fraud Office.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

Preparation to recruit the next Director of the Serious Fraud Office is progressing as planned and the Attorney General intends to publish the job advert at the end of this month. This will be a rigorous recruitment exercise in line with the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles. It is designed to attract and test the strongest field of talent and the selection process is expected to last at least until the end of November. The Attorney General expects to appoint a permanent Director by the end of this year, to take up the post in 2027.

The SFO plays a critical role in prosecuting fraudsters, delivering justice for victims and ridding the economy of corruption, making Britain better off. It is vital that we take the time to find and appoint the correct candidate to lead the organisation for the next five years.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hermer on 27 April (HL16376), what specific criteria ministers are required to apply when determining whether a proposed reporting or consultation requirement meets the Government's “higher bar” for inclusion in new legislation.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

The starting point will be that requirements are in legislation by exception. Then going forward, formal consultation should only take place where there is still a statutory requirement to consult, where it would be conspicuously unfair not to consult, or where Ministers believe there is a good case for seeking external input and that the right vehicle for doing so is a formal consultation. Even where departments have historically consulted or previously promised to consult, it is expected that each individual instance to be considered afresh, thinking about what is fair in the particular circumstances.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hermer on 14 July (HL1910), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what is the evidential basis for the assertion that X prioritises misinformation.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Cluny - Advocate General for Scotland

I would refer the Honourable Lord to Lord Hermer’s previous answer on this topic.

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