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1728103

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Knives: Crime
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for knife crime.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	4767
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2024 answer text <p>This Government is committed to halving knife crime in the next decade as set out in our Safer Streets Mission.</p><p>From Tuesday 24 September, it will be illegal to own zombie-style knives and machetes as they will be added to the list of dangerous prohibited items already banned, including zombie knives, butterfly knives, Samurai swords, and push daggers. The Government will also legislate to ban ninja swords and strengthen rules to prevent online sales of knives.</p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council also work closely to prevent and tackle knife crime. Guidance setting out their joint approach to knife crime offending can be found here: <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offensive-weapons-knife-crime-practical-guidance" target="_blank">Offensive Weapons, Knife Crime Practical Guidance | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 12/09/2024 13:37:34 answering member 5204
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1727660

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Crown Prosecution Service
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, if she will publish the number of cases awaiting charging decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service, broken down by (a) whether they are (i) summary only, (ii) either way and (iii) indictable only offences and (b) by Crown Prosecution Service region.
	tabling member constituency	Telford
	tabling member printed	Shaun Davies
	uin	4455
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2024 answer text <p>Management information is held showing the number of cases with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which are awaiting a pre-charge decision.</p><p>The table below shows the overall number of cases which were awaiting a charging decision or administrative triage (completed on files sent by the police to the CPS for a charging decision) as of 25 March 2024. This data is provided in line with the last quarterly data release in March 2024.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>25/03/2024</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cymru Wales</p></td><td><p>1,354</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>1,107</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Of England</p></td><td><p>868</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London North</p></td><td><p>803</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London South</p></td><td><p>833</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Merseyside and Cheshire</p></td><td><p>733</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>852</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>1,088</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>912</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>1,167</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Thames &amp; Chiltern</p></td><td><p>759</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wessex</p></td><td><p>631</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>1,571</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire &amp; Humberside</p></td><td><p>1,019</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13,697</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Data Source: CPS Pre-Charge Decision Workload Report</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>These figures do not include cases that have been referred to the CPS but that are currently with the police to action, having been sent back to them with a request for further information.</p><p>This count is of the number of cases, not suspects. A single case may cover one suspect or several.</p><p>No data is available in the report showing whether the alleged offences are summary, either-way or indictable only. To obtain this information would require a manual review at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 12/09/2024 13:51:00 answering member 5204
	tabling member	5041

1726819

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Private Education: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees with the Government's obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Leicestershire
	tabling member printed	Mr Peter Bedford
	uin	3924
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2024 answer text <p>Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code states: ‘the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority’. This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention. Authority to make such disclosures is rarely given.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 10/09/2024 16:19:52 answering member 5204
	tabling member	5330

1725667

	registered interest
	date	30/08/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Redundancy Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment in that period; and how much each Minister received.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	3028
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>Details of ministerial severance payments are published in the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor Annual Report and Accounts. These can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?parent=government-legal-department&amp;organisations%5B%5D=government-legal-department&amp;order=updated-newest" target="_blank">Transparency andfreedom of information releases - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p>I confirm that over the period 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024, the following payments were made:</p><p>The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP – £23,612 (February 2020)</p><p>The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC – £14,490 (August 2022)</p><p>Edward Timpson CBE KC – £14,490 (October 2022)</p><p>The Rt Hon Sir Michael Ellis KC – £23,612 (November 2022)</p><p>Information on any payments from 31 May 2024 will be released in due course.</p><p>All severance payments were made under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which provides for severance payments to ministers who cease to hold office and are not re-appointed to government within three weeks. This reflects the lack of any notice period when ministers leave government.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 09/09/2024 13:58:31 answering member 5204
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

1724392

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Legal Opinion: Disclosure of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what the Government's policy is on the publication of its legal advice.
	tabling member constituency	Salisbury
	tabling member printed	John Glen
	uin	2310
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2024 answer text <p>The Law Officers’ Convention, reflected in paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code, is a long-standing convention observed by successive governments. It exists to preserve the ability of the Government and ministers to seek the advice of the Law Officers and not to be disadvantaged by disclosing when they have done so, and what advice they received.</p><p>As you may know, on some occasions the Government has published summaries of its legal position on specific matters, for example, on military activity in the Red Sea (see here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-uk-government-legal-position-the-legality-of-uk-military-action-to-target-houthi-facilities-in-yemen/summary-of-the-uk-government-legal-position-the-legality-of-uk-military-action-to-target-houthi-facilities-in-yemen" target="_blank">Summary of the UK Government Legal Position: The legality of UK military action to target Houthi facilities in Yemen on 12 January 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>).</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 06/09/2024 08:48:59 answering member 5204
	tabling member	4051 label Biography information for John Glen

1724401

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Law Officers: Freedom of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what the Government's policy is on the role of the law officers on (a) freedom of information requests, (b) appeals and (c) tribunals on decisions undertaken by the previous Government.
	tabling member constituency	Salisbury
	tabling member printed	John Glen
	uin	2318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2024 answer text <p>The Law Officers’ role in respect of assessing exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) for papers of a previous administration is set out at paragraph 11.24 of the Cabinet Manual:</p><p>“<em>When a decision is required on the application of sections 36 or 53 of the FOI Act to papers of a previous administration, the Attorney General will act, as appropriate, as the accountable person for all government departments under section 53 and a Law Officer will act as the qualified person under section 36.</em>”</p><p>Once an assessment is made it is returned to the relevant department who then apply the public interest test (where applicable). Any appeals or tribunal proceedings would be for the relevant department.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 06/09/2024 08:51:40 answering member 5204
	tabling member	4051 label Biography information for John Glen

1724419

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Public Appointments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory direct ministerial appointments excluding special advisers she has made; and (i) who the appointee was and (ii) what the (A) remuneration, (B) title and (C) terms of reference was for each appointment.
	tabling member constituency	North West Hampshire
	tabling member printed	Kit Malthouse
	uin	2398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2024 answer text <p>As of this date, I can confirm that, excluding special advisers, the Attorney General and I have not made any direct statutory or non-statutory ministerial appointments.</p><p>Of course, the Law Officers and wider government legal teams for which they are responsible do make use of outside experts on the law, whether counsel, law firms or academic specialists. Arrangements for using counsel or academics are principally through the Attorney General’s panels and an off-panel nomination process or via their academic institution, whereas law firms are principally instructed through a panel firm procurement process.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 06/09/2024 10:32:05 answering member 5204
	tabling member	4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse

1724009

	registered interest
	date	29/07/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Rape: Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that there are sufficient counsel available to prosecute rape offences.
	tabling member printed	Lord Sandhurst
	uin	HL451
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/08/2024 answer text <p>Good quality prosecutorial advocacy underpins our ability to deliver timely justice. The criminal justice system needs a resilient supply of advocates – both prosecution and defence – and the Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) recognises that this is currently proving challenging, particularly in rape cases. Addressing this shortfall is a priority for the CPS.</p><p>The CPS Advocate Panel is a time-limited quality-assured list of external junior advocates – self-employed barristers and solicitor agents – who undertake criminal prosecution advocacy for the CPS.</p><p>There are currently around 770 advocates on the CPS’ specialist Advocate Panel for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (the “RASSO Panel”). Whilst there has been a decline in numbers over the past five years, there has been a notable increase of just under 100 RASSO Panel advocates during the last 12 months.</p><p>Notwithstanding this increase, with RASSO caseloads at record levels, further action is needed to drive up numbers to provide sufficient counsel. The CPS has taken steps to do so, which have included revising the entry requirements for the RASSO Panel, moving away from a written application for experienced advocates but still requiring them to have completed CPS-accredited RASSO training (or commit to do so within 3 months). A further change to support the progression of advocates into RASSO work and improving the pipeline will be announced later this month.</p><p>The CPS is also working with the Bar to improve the provision of RASSO training, to support wellbeing, and to promote the fact that – notwithstanding the challenges – RASSO work can be hugely fulfilling and support career progression.</p> answering member printed Lord Hermer question first answered 12/08/2024 15:54:49 answering member 5365 label Biography information for Lord Hermer
	tabling member	4920 label Biography information for Lord Sandhurst

1723633

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to co-ordinate with other Departments on tackling fraud through the Serious Fraud Office.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Mr Luke Charters
	uin	1867
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2024 answer text <p>I work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, to support the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) mission to tackle fraud. My department will continue to support this mission through our superintendence of the SFO. I visited the SFO earlier this month to learn about their important work to deliver justice for victims of economic crime and protect the UK’s reputation as a safe place to do business.</p><p>The SFO works effectively with other law enforcement agencies through the National Economic Crime Centre to collectively co-ordinate the UK’s response to fraud. Earlier this year this co-ordination led to the National Crime Agency arresting four individuals following an SFO search of three sites in relation to an investigation into an alleged £140m investment fraud.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Sarah Sackman question first answered 02/08/2024 10:59:17 answering member 5204
	tabling member	5199

1719076

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2024
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	People Smuggling: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for people smuggling in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Isle of Wight
	tabling member printed	Bob Seely
	uin	26916
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The Immigration Act 1971 (the Act) sets out offences for illegal entry, illegal working, and assisting unlawful immigration into the United Kingdom.</p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information showing the number of offences charged by way of section 24 (illegal entry/arrival), section 25 (assisting unlawful immigration to member State or the UK), section 25A (helping an asylum-seeker to enter the UK), and section 25B (assisting entry to the UK in breach of deportation or exclusion order) of the Act in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing at a magistrates’ court.</p><p>The table attached shows the number of these offences from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.</p><p>The CPS does not hold data which shows the number of defendants charged with, prosecuted, and convicted for offences created by the Act. The figures in the table relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. An individual defendant may be charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at completion of prosecution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 22/05/2024 15:43:06 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts attachment 1 file name PQ 26916 - Table.pdf title Table
	tabling member	4681 label Biography information for Bob Seely