Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relation to the sentencing of two youths responsible for causing the death of Bhim Kohli. The deadline for any referral to the Court of Appeal is 3 July 2025. The hon. Member will be informed in due course of the Law Officers’ decision.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to his speech at the 2025 RUSI Annual Security Lecture on 29 May 2025, if he will list the (a) Ministers and (b) Government officials who approved the content of the speech; and whether Number 10 had advance sight of the speech.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The process was followed as set out in the Ministerial Code.
The Attorney General made a further statement on the speech in question which is publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 14 January (HC22186) and Attorney General's speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council on 30 January, what guidance they have given on whether Ministers can (1) derogate from or (2) disregard rulings of the European Court of Human Rights where such issues are against (a) UK national interest or (b) the stated view of the UK Parliament.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by, or requested of, the Law Officers. The Convention applies to your question.
It 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 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 50518 on Government Departments: Legal Opinion, if she will publish a copy of the 2022 version of the guidance.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
I will ensure that a copy of the 2022 version of the legal risk guidance is placed in the library shortly.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using mediation in disputes in which the Government is a party in a (a) private and (b) public law capacity.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Government conducts litigation in accordance with the relevant court rules and considers the individual circumstances of a dispute before deciding on an appropriate course of action, which may include mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help increase prosecution rates for offences relating to female genital mutilation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government is dedicated to addressing female genital mutilation (FGM) and all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG), aiming to halve VAWG in the next decade. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is actively working to increase FGM prosecutions.
The first conviction in England and Wales for conspiring to commit FGM was obtained in September 2024. In February 2025, I welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase the sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme from four and a half years’ imprisonment to seven years’ imprisonment, reflecting the seriousness of the offender’s crimes.
Each CPS Area has a dedicated FGM lead with expertise in the prosecution of FGM cases to improve the CPS’ response to these cases.
The CPS provides early investigative advice to police in all FGM cases. Under the CPS and National Police Chiefs’ Council joint protocol on FGM, investigators are directed to consult with the CPS at the earliest possible stage. The protocol ensures a robust and consistent criminal justice response, and aims to improve the identification, investigation and prosecution of FGM cases.
The CPS’ prosecution guidance and specialist training on FGM support prosecutors to navigate the complexities and sensitivities of these cases.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) prosecutions brought and (b) successful prosecutions in relation to offences contrary to Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 in each year since 1995.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The table below shows the number of offences charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by way of section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm or distress) in which a prosecution commenced from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2024. These figures relate to the number of offences charged and not the number of individual defendants.
The CPS does not hold data showing the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted of offences created by the Public Order Act 1986, including section 4A. To establish the number of defendants charged pursuant to and convicted under section 4A would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.
Calendar Year | Public Order Act 1986 { 4A(1) and (5) } |
2004 | 4,524 |
2005 | 5,349 |
2006 | 6,077 |
2007 | 6,651 |
2008 | 6,892 |
2009 | 7,151 |
2010 | 8,329 |
2011 | 8,278 |
2012 | 8,140 |
2013 | 8,269 |
2014 | 9,790 |
2015 | 10,878 |
2016 | 11,038 |
2017 | 11,969 |
2018 | 11,620 |
2019 | 10,882 |
2020 | 9,616 |
2021 | 12,299 |
2022 | 11,560 |
2023 | 10,797 |
2024 | 11,693 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help increase prosecution rates for knife crime.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government is committed to halving knife crime in the next decade as set out in our Safer Streets Mission.
The number of cases that the CPS prosecuted for possession of a knife under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and Prevention of Crime Act 1953 has risen from 26,500 (2022-2023) to 27,818 (2023-2024).
The Crime and Policing Bill introduces several knife crime specific measures including a new offence of possession of a knife or offensive weapon with intent to use it for violence; and increasing the maximum penalties for offences relating to the sale and possession of offensive weapons from six months to two years imprisonment. We will also give police power to seize and destroy knifes that they suspect will be used for violence.
Additionally, the Government has set up a national taskforce with policing leaders, which the CPS is supporting. This taskforce is exploring actions to prevent, tackle and reduce knife enabled robbery.
The Government is also acting to address the deadly cycle of knife crime by getting more dangerous weapons off our streets and preventing young people from being drawn into violent crime in the first place, with a radical new Young Futures prevention programme and early intervention for those at-risk. Working with our criminal justice partners, we will also introduce tough consequences for youths caught with knives, including more referrals to Youth Offending Teams.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether they plan to issue guidance to the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that all people involved in a case are referred to by their biological sex in paperwork, records and orally.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are updating their Code of Practice and once it has been submitted, the Government will engage with the EHRC to ensure it provides the certainty and clarity service providers need, in line with the Supreme Court ruling. How court proceedings will be dealt with under the Court’s ruling will be a matter for the judiciary.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions were brought against the biological parents of children in foster care for incidents involving (a) inappropriate, (b) threatening and (c) abusive contact with their child’s foster parents since May 2024.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Threatening or abusive behaviour can amount to an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. To establish whether defendants charged with Public Order Act offences committed these offences against the foster carers of their children would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.
Management information is held showing the number of offences charged by way of Section 4 (fear or provocation of violence), Section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm or distress) and Section 5 (harassment, alarm or distress) in which a prosecution commenced during the period from 1st May 2024 to 31st December 2024. The table below shows the number of these offences during that period.
| May 2024 - December 2024 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 4 } | 5,879 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 4A } | 7,815 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 5 } | 4,964 |
Total Offences Charged | 18,658 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for offences created by the Public Order Act 1986.
The figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.
There is no offence of inappropriate behaviour.