Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Attorney General’s Office advised the Northern Ireland Office on matters connected with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, and the Government’s response to the Dillon case judgments regarding that Act in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

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 question.