Committee of Privileges
(asked on 5th September 2022) - View Source
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether her office was consulted on the decisions by the Cabinet Office to (a) spend public funds on obtaining the legal opinion by Lord Pannick QC and Jason Pobjoy of Blackstone Chambers relating to the proposed conduct of the House of Commons Privileges Committee and (b) place that legal opinion in the public domain.
The decision in any case as to whether to instruct counsel, who to instruct, and whether to waive privilege in respect of that advice, lies with the instructing Government Department. When a Government Department wishes to instruct a QC, other than First Treasury Counsel or Standing Counsel, it should submit a request for a nomination to the Attorney General’s Office. This process was followed, and the request approved, in relation to the instruction of Lord Pannick QC in this case. |