Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Attorney General has approved the rules of engagement for the RAF bombing of Syria, and whether he will be consulted regularly to ensure that such military action is carried out in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
As the Prime Minister has repeatedly made clear, in carrying out any military action in Syria, the Government will at all times act in accordance with the law.
In line with the longstanding Law Officers’ Convention, reflected in both the Cabinet Manual and the Ministerial Code, I am unable to provide specific details as to the role of the Attorney General in this matter.
Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to prosecutions of high profile sex abuse cases, and (2) the financial resources available to the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out such prosecutions; and what, if any, plans the Crown Prosecution Service has to amend its procedures and practices in relation to such prosecutions.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) considers all cases that are referred by investigators according to the same test, as set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. In 2013/14, the CPS prosecuted 12,445 sexual offence cases, of which 9,104 resulted in a conviction, a conviction rate of 73.2%. This was an increase on the previous year when the conviction rate was 72.4% .
In order to ensure that there are sufficient resources to prosecute sexual offence cases, the CPS continues to work closely with Her Majesty’s Treasury and criminal justice system partners to analyse and manage the impact of increasing volumes. This is in addition to a range of activity to further prioritise sexual offence cases such as the establishment of Rape and Serious Sexual Offence (RASSO) Units in every region and the publication of legal guidance to further support effective prosecutions.
Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Serious Fraud Office.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The current Director has returned the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to its original role and purpose of tackling the topmost tier of fraud, bribery and corruption cases with a greater emphasis on those that harm the UK’s reputation as a safe place to do business.
The follow-up report to the 2012 inspection carried out by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate was published in November 2014. It provides a snapshot of the SFO in 2013 and made clear that a “considerable amount of work had been done” to address the recommendations of the inspection, and that “There has been genuine commitment from managers and staff alike to review and update processes and structures and to improve every aspect of case handling, from intelligence gathering and analysis, to casework management and disclosure handling”.
Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Attorney General will ask HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out an inquiry into the decision not to prosecute for the Arndale Centre plot, and invite him to publish his findings.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The Attorney General has no plans to ask HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out an inquiry into the decision not to prosecute for the Arndale Centre plot. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded that there was insufficient evidence that was admissible in a criminal court in this jurisdiction to afford a realistic prospect of conviction. The Attorney General has no reason to doubt the CPS’s conclusion.
Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the Attorney General's duties, as the guardian of public interests, in respect of the supervision of charities; and whether the Attorney General has had any discussions with the Charity Commission as regards the use of the finances of the Rowntree Foundations.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The Attorney General’s responsibilities, on behalf of the Crown as parens patriae, include representing charity generally, or the beneficiaries of a particular charity, before the courts. The regulation of charities is a matter for the Charity Commission. The Attorney General’s Office does not hold any records of discussions between the Attorney General and the Charity Commission about the finances of the Rowntree Foundations.
Asked by: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how their supervision of the Serious Fraud Office is exercised; and what recent assessment they have made of the performance of the Office.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The Government’s supervision of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is exercised principally through the Attorney General’s superintendence of that department, and in accordance with the Protocol between the Attorney General and the Prosecuting Departments of July 2009.
The Attorney General meets regularly with the Director of the SFO and receives reports on the SFO’s work. In addition HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has power to inspect the SFO under section 149 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which came into force on 2 June 2014.
HMCPSI conducted an inspection of the SFO at the request of the Director SFO in 2012, and reported in November 2012. It has carried out a follow up inspection and is due to report on that later this year.