Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s compliance with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU in relation to the ban on sandeel fishing.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:
“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the likely outcome of the arbitration on the sandeel fishing ban; and what steps she is taking to prepare for an unfavourable outcome.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:
“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK's ban on sandeel fishing.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:
“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your questions.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.
As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.
Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.