Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what guidance she has provided to Cabinet colleagues on when to publish (a) full and (b) summaries of legal advice.
Answered by Robert Courts
Departments are responsible for procuring their own legal advice and may decide when and how to disclose that advice outside Government. However, advice provided by the Law Officers is subject to the Law Officers’ Convention and may not be disclosed outside Government without the Law Officers’ consent. This is a longstanding principle of Cabinet collective agreement.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions the Law Officers have been informed that ministers in other Government departments are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
I cannot answer your question as to do so would be in breach of the Law Officers’ Convention.
Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code clearly states that the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases relating to violence against women and girls.
Answered by Robert Courts
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government’s top priorities. We continue to expand the number of VAWG offences to reflect the evolving criminal justice landscape.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is improving the way existing offences are prosecuted. It has produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape and is now working in partnership with the police on a joint action plan to improve their collective handling of domestic abuse cases, applying the same principles from the work on rape which has driven marked improvement.
To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS is also producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published by Autumn 2024.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates her Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.
Answered by Robert Courts
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.
Answered by Robert Courts
The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Reports and guidance that the AGO has published can be found on GOV.UK at Search - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have issued guidance for prosecuting those who incite others to cover up cameras in the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not issued specific guidance on prosecuting those who incite others to cover up cameras in the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
These offences would be covered by existing guidance on inchoate offences, Theft Act offences, and offences during protests, demonstrations or campaigns. The existing guidance is available on the CPS website: Inchoate Offences; Theft Act Offences; and Offences during Protests, Demonstrations or Campaigns.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action is being taken by prosecuting authorities against those who incite others to cover up cameras in the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for prosecuting cases which have been referred to them following an investigation by the police. The CPS will consider a prosecution for any case involving incitement to cause criminal damage or criminal damage to Ultra Low Emission Zone cameras under the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussions she had with her (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian counterparts on compliance with international humanitarian law during her visit to the Middle East in February 2024.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
I visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories between 14 and 16 February 2024. In Israel, I met with the Israeli Attorney General, lawyers for the Israeli Defence Force, and the President of the Supreme Court. In the West Bank, I met with the Palestinian Attorney
General and the Prime Minister.
I held frank discussions in which I emphasised the importance of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) being respected, civilians protected, and detainees being held in compliance with the Geneva Conventions.
The UK Government continues to call for IHL to be respected and for civilians to be protected.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much funding her Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) uses advertising to promote vacancies in the Department.
The table below sets out what, in the last three years, the AGO budgeted for all communication and marketing and what it spent on advertising.
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Budget for communication and marketing | £26,500.00 | £35,000.00 | £40,000.00 |
Spend on advertising | £714.00 | £714.00 | £714.00 |
Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals her Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Robert Courts
The Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) paid subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and online journals provide AGO officials with a valuable resource of public discourse on topics relevant to the Department.
The AGO’s paid subscriptions for the last three financial years are set out in the table below.
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Newspapers | Financial Times; Telegraph | Financial Times; Telegraph | Financial Times; Sunday Times; Telegraph |
Magazines | Critic Magazine; Counsel Magazine | Counsel Magazine | Counsel Magazine |
Online journals | N/A | Thomson Reuters; Joshua Rozenberg | Thomson Reuters; Joshua Rozenberg |
Please note that I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by the Attorney General and I (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Government Legal Department, and Serious Fraud Office).