Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Murray Excerpts

Tuesday 18th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Attorney-General]

First, I can give the hon. Lady a figure: 584 delegates are shown as having attended the rape and serious assault training course between July 2008 and December 2010. That might help to give her an idea of the numbers. There is no intention that the priority that is given to this extremely serious offence should be in any way downgraded as a result of savings having to be made within the Crown Prosecution Service.

[Ian Murray (Edinburgh South) (Lab)]

2. What responsibilities the Law Officers’ Departments have for the National Fraud Authority.

[The Solicitor-General (Mr Edward Garnier)]

The National Fraud Authority is an Executive agency of the Attorney-General’s Office, which is the authority’s sponsoring Department. The Law Officers are the Ministers accountable to Parliament for the work of the agency.

[Ian Murray]

I am grateful for that answer. Given the estimated £30 billion cost to the UK economy of fraud, does the Solicitor-General agree that the coalition’s spending cuts must not undermine the work of the National Fraud Authority?

[The Solicitor-General]

I would agree, and they will not.