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Written Question
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Legal Costs
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether any costs were incurred by the Government Legal Department in relation to the libel action pursued by Professor Kate Sang against the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, following her letter of 23 October 2023 to UK Research and Innovation on that organisation's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

In line with normal Government Legal Department charging arrangements, any costs in relation to this matter have been or will be borne by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Written Question
Ministers: Defamation
Tuesday 12th March 2024

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 - Attorney General

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.


Written Question
Attorney General: Written Questions
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2023 to Question 9197 on Attorney General: Written Questions, for what reason her Department has been unable to answer the Questions within the usual time period.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I responded to your questions 6773 and 6774 on 24 January 2024. Please accept my apologies for the delay.


Written Question
Attorney General: Redundancy Pay
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4982, which other three individuals have received severance payments since 2015; in which years those severance entitlements arose; and what the cost of each payment was.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I would like to thank the Rt Hon Member for bringing this matter to our attention. Due to an oversight in the administrative process by officials, these three payments were not disclosed in the 2022-23 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. The payments will be properly reflected in the 2023-24 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts, in line with prevailing guidance on departmental accounts.

In the interests of transparency, I can confirm that in the 2022-23 period, the following payments were made:

My right hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) - £14,490 (August 2022)

My hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson) - £14,490 (October 2022)

My right hon. Friend the Member for Northampton North (Sir Michael Ellis) - £23,612 (November 2022)

All three severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to Ministers who cease to hold office and are not reappointed to the government within 3 weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when Ministers leave government.

I would note that such statutory provisions have existed across governments of all political colours.


Written Question
Attorney General: Redundancy Pay
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4982, whether the three other severance payments to Ministers made since 2015 were recorded in her Department's annual reports and accounts.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I would like to thank the Rt Hon Member for bringing this matter to our attention. Due to an oversight in the administrative process by officials, these three payments were not disclosed in the 2022-23 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. The payments will be properly reflected in the 2023-24 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts, in line with prevailing guidance on departmental accounts.

In the interests of transparency, I can confirm that in the 2022-23 period, the following payments were made:

My right hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) - £14,490 (August 2022)

My hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson) - £14,490 (October 2022)

My right hon. Friend the Member for Northampton North (Sir Michael Ellis) - £23,612 (November 2022)

All three severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to Ministers who cease to hold office and are not reappointed to the government within 3 weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when Ministers leave government.

I would note that such statutory provisions have existed across governments of all political colours.


Written Question
Government Legal Department: Equal Pay
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, when she expects the Government Legal Department to publish its gender pay gap report for the financial year 2022-23.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Government Legal Department will publish its gender pay gap report for the financial year 2022-23 by 30 March 2024.


Written Question
Attorney General: Written Questions
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, when she plans to respond to Questions 6773 and 6774 on Attorney General: Redundancy Pay, tabled by the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 13 December 2023.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

The Attorney General's Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.


Written Question
Attorney General: Redundancy Pay
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether any severance payments have been made by her Department to Ministers other than to the Rt hon. Member for Torridge and West Devon since 1 January 2015.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

Apart from the severance payment made to the Rt Hon. Member for Torridge and West Devon, the Attorney General’s Office has made three other severance payments since 2015.


Written Question
Serious Fraud Office: Legal Costs
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what estimate she has made of the total costs incurred by the Serious Fraud Office in pursuing the cases dropped on 24 August 2023 against (a) the Alpha and Green Park Group of companies, (b) ENRC and (c) Rio Tinto.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) does not disclose the costs associated with its cases as this risks prejudicing the administration of justice and is against the public interest. Information on how the SFO uses resources is published in aggregate in its Annual Report and Accounts.


Written Question
Attorney General: Incentives
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2022 to Question 107061 on Attorney General: Incentives, how much the Government Legal Department spent on purchasing non-cash vouchers for staff as reward and recognition bonuses in 2022-23.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

Purchasing non-cash vouchers as reward and recognition bonuses for staff is standard practice across Government.

The Government Legal Department spent £240,605 on purchasing non-cash vouchers for staff as reward and recognition bonuses in 2022-23.