Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Brennan of Canton and Dominic Grieve

Tuesday 26th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the success rate, measured by convictions, of investigations by the Serious Fraud Office.

[The Attorney-General (Mr Dominic Grieve)]

The SFO has a 71% conviction rate by defendant for the current financial year to date. It prosecutes highly specialised cases, the number of which is small, so year-on-year change in the rate is not a particularly good indicator of trends. Although there is always room for improvement, I am broadly pleased with the SFO’s conviction rate. The report by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service inspectorate in November last year found that the outcomes in SFO cases demonstrate that it can deliver under pressure. There will be a follow-up inspection within the next year.

[Kevin Brennan]

SFO investigations have increased in duration to 28.8 months on average, success rates are down, as the Attorney-General has just told us, and its previous director handed out £1 million to departing staff without authorisation. Can the Attorney-General tell us how much money will have to be set aside on his watch for legal fees and damages as a result of botched investigations by the SFO?

[The Attorney-General]

I take it that the final part of that was the question and the rest was comment. The position is that at the moment the SFO is handling ongoing civil litigation within its budget. In so far as it requires further resources, it will speak to the Treasury.

Phone Hacking

Debate between Lord Brennan of Canton and Dominic Grieve

Wednesday 6th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Attorney-General]

May I respectfully say to the hon. Lady that I am not sure that in my capacity as the Queens’s Attorney-General that is a question to which I would necessarily have the immediate answer? What I can say to her is that a series of criminal investigations are taking place, along with wider inquiry, and the Government are committed, as I have just indicated, to there being an inquiry into the matter. I am sorry to disappoint her but, in any event, I do not think that this is a question that I am in a position to answer.

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

As a former competition Minister, may I ask the Attorney-General whether, in his view, the Culture Secretary has the power, and always has had the power, to refer the News Corp takeover to the Competition Commission?

[The Attorney-General]

Well, may I say to the hon. Gentleman that my understanding—I checked this before the start of the debate—is that my right hon. Friend the Culture Secretary did refer the takeover to the Competition Commission?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Brennan of Canton and Dominic Grieve

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Attorney-General]

I can reassure my hon. Friend that there is widespread recognition, including by the CPS itself, that the referral bar has an important role to play in the prosecution of offences, and that that must be sustained. It is my intention, working with the head of the CPS, to ensure that that happens.

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

7. What recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on the prosecution of cases involving allegations of rape.

[The Attorney-General]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave to Question 4.

[Kevin Brennan]

Does the Attorney-General agree with the Lord Chancellor that there should be a free vote on this?

[The Attorney-General]

It will be for Government members who are introducing the policy to decide whether that matter should be subject to a free vote or not.