Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Government Legal Service publication, “the Judge over your shoulder”, para 3.15, what supplementary advice or guidance have the Law Officers or GLS given on whether a reconsideration of a Ministerial decision requires a new Minister to take the fresh decision.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
With reference to the publication, JOYS: The Judge Over Your Shoulder, the Government Legal Department is not aware of any supplementary advice or guidance on whether a reconsideration of a Ministerial decision requires a new Minister to take the fresh decision.
In addition, it is a longstanding convention that whether 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: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 81790 on Democracy, what her Department's budget is for direct engagement with (a) civil society groups and (b) young people; and which organisations her Department has met.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
There is no single budget ring-fenced for direct engagement with (a) civil society groups and (b) young people within the Attorney General's Office as a department. Ministers and officials meet with many civil society groups and young people as you would expect, in line with workstream priorities, and these are declared and publicised in the normal way. For example, the Attorney General was pleased to attend a recent event at Cumberland Lodge to engage with young people learning about human rights and looks forward to undertaking a series of school visits in due course.