Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Oliver Heald and Paul Flynn

Tuesday 25th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab)]

4. What plans he has to reduce the running costs of the Law Officers’ departments.

[The Solicitor-General (Oliver Heald)]

Over the next two financial years, the total expenditure of the Law Officers’ departments will be reduced through measures such as shared legal services, reduction in non-front-line staff, increased digitalisation, rationalisation of estates and more efficient court listing practices.

[Paul Flynn]

How much is the Department spending to contest freedom of information and court decisions, in order to suppress information to the public? The claim has been made that information is available that would show that an important person is unfit to do his future job. Should we not allow the lobbying letters of Prince Charles to be made public?

[The Solicitor-General]

The hon. Gentleman raises a case that involves issues of constitutional significance, including upholding Parliament’s intentions for the freedom of information regime and the Government’s ability to protect information in the public interest. It is important that the Government continue to fight the case in question. To protect public funds, if we are successful at the next stage of the legal proceedings, we would expect The Guardian to meet our legal costs in full.

Welsh Assembly Legislation (Attorney-General)

Debate between Oliver Heald and Paul Flynn

Tuesday 15th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Paul Flynn]

Absolutely. We could have saved lots of the bedroom tax if this had not been done. The legal cost incurred by the Welsh Government was £30,000, and about £15,000 was spent on civil service time in the Wales Office. The total bill was £150,000. Why? Because some pernickety piffle artist in the Attorney-General’s office was trying to make some kind of stand against devolution. He went through the might of the High Court. Five judges were there, looking dignified and wise in their wigs. The total number of judges who agreed with the Government was zero. It was a unanimous vote that this was a frivolous intervention.

[The Solicitor-General (Oliver Heald)]

While following the very excited way in which the hon. Gentleman is putting his case, I cannot let him get him get away with that, because the Court made it clear that it was a perfectly justifiable application, and in fact it clarified the law in an important way.

[Paul Flynn]

I think that a number of them agreed and the judgment was won.