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1437520

	registered interest
	date	02/03/2022
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether she plans to implement the recommendations from the Criminal Justice Joint Inspection into the police and CPS's response to rape post-charge in full; what her timetable is for implementing those recommendations; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
	uin	133142
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text The CPS has welcomed the recent Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (CJJI) report on how well the criminal justice system serves survivors of rape and has largely accepted all the recommendations within it that relate directly to their work. They will use the report’s findings and recommendations to further inform their response to rape prosecutions and to build on the significant work undertaken so far, which has focussed on the following three main areas of work:<ul><li>better collaboration with the police from the very start of an investigation, taking an offender-centric approach to case-building;</li><li>supporting prosecutors and expanding the size of specialist units so that they are properly resourced to respond to these challenging and complex cases; and</li><li>improving the support given to victims, and recognising the trauma they experience.</li></ul>On the timeframes for implementing the two recommendations relating to communicating with victims, the CPS has already commenced a vital programme of work to improve how they communicate with victims. As part of this, the CPS has commissioned crucial research into victims’ needs to understand what victims need and want, so the CPS can serve them better. This research is part of a fundamental review into how the CPS can improve communication with victims. Although this three-phased programme is underway, the CPS will require time to complete it, to ensure that it fundamentally improves the quality of communication with victims. The CPS’s full response to the report and its recommendations can be found <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-response-criminal-justice-joint-inspection-cjji-how-well-criminal-justice-system" target="_blank">here</a>. answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 07/03/2022 09:36:16 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

1417331

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Government Legal Department
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government Legal Department.
	tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
	tabling member printed	Dr Kieran Mullan
	uin	113308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2022 answer text <p>Within an ever-evolving and challenging context – which has included continuing to support the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the negotiation of new international agreements, COP26, the Northern Ireland Protocol, the challenges around energy supply to name a few – GLD continues to provide first class legal services across Whitehall.</p><p> </p><p>Despite these pressures, GLD have continued to meet all three of the key performance measures they have agreed with HMT, reflecting their continued commitment to high professional standards and providing an excellent service to clients. Last year:</p><p> </p><ul><li>96.2% of GLD’s clients rated their services “good” or “excellent” in GLD’s annual client satisfaction survey; and</li><li>GLD’s litigators again successfully retained their Lexcel Accreditation – the Law Society Practice Mark – an annual achievement since 2006.</li><li>GLD is on track to recover the full operating cost of chargeable services to their clients.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>Moreover, GLD’s performed well against the eight challenging priorities set out in their Business Plan 2021-22.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 03/02/2022 14:02:14 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4860 label Biography information for Dr Kieran Mullan

1463262

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol: Legal Opinion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether the cost of the most recent external legal advice procured by the Government on matters relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol was above or below the level that would normally require a competitive tender process under the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and associated guidance.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2413
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>Whether or not the Attorney General sought advice from external counsel in this case, and associated information, relates to her function as a Law Officer and chief legal adviser to the Government. It is a longstanding convention, accepted by governments of all parties, not to disclose whether the Law Officers have given legal advice or the contents of any advice. This convention protects the Law Officers’ ability to give full and frank legal advice on some of the most contentious and difficult issues the Government will be considering.</p><p> </p><p>The Attorney General and the Attorney General’s Office are subject to the same requirements and oversight in relation to the use of public funds as any other minister and Government department respectively, as set out in relevant guidance from HM Treasury.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 2414 2415 question first answered 20/05/2022 08:51:23 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1463263

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol: Legal Opinion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether details of the Government's most recent procurement of external legal advice on matters relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol have been published on the Contracts Finder website; and if she will publish (a) the award letter and (b) the statement of requirements arising from that procurement process.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>Whether or not the Attorney General sought advice from external counsel in this case, and associated information, relates to her function as a Law Officer and chief legal adviser to the Government. It is a longstanding convention, accepted by governments of all parties, not to disclose whether the Law Officers have given legal advice or the contents of any advice. This convention protects the Law Officers’ ability to give full and frank legal advice on some of the most contentious and difficult issues the Government will be considering.</p><p> </p><p>The Attorney General and the Attorney General’s Office are subject to the same requirements and oversight in relation to the use of public funds as any other minister and Government department respectively, as set out in relevant guidance from HM Treasury.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 2413 2415 question first answered 20/05/2022 08:51:23 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1463265

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol: Legal Opinion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether she was personally involved in the most recent process of deciding which individual or organisation should be paid out of public funds for the provision of external legal advice on matters relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2415
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>Whether or not the Attorney General sought advice from external counsel in this case, and associated information, relates to her function as a Law Officer and chief legal adviser to the Government. It is a longstanding convention, accepted by governments of all parties, not to disclose whether the Law Officers have given legal advice or the contents of any advice. This convention protects the Law Officers’ ability to give full and frank legal advice on some of the most contentious and difficult issues the Government will be considering.</p><p> </p><p>The Attorney General and the Attorney General’s Office are subject to the same requirements and oversight in relation to the use of public funds as any other minister and Government department respectively, as set out in relevant guidance from HM Treasury.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 2413 2414 question first answered 20/05/2022 08:51:23 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1435592

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department and its agencies remove all internal covid-19 related policies, restrictions and mask mandates.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	129777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, all Civil Service employers including the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesties Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the<a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19" target="_blank"> Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance</a> which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out<a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/risk-assessment.htm" target="_blank"> health and safety risk assessments</a> that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s recent <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19" target="_blank"><em>Living with COVID-19</em></a> document, sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the <em>Working Safely </em>guidance. Which alongside risk assessments, sets out further actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning and asking people with COVID-19 to stay home. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Employers will continue to align their policies accordingly. Should individuals wish to wear masks as a matter of personal choice this should be respected.</p><p>In respect to the SFO estate, The Canadian High Commission (CHC), in their capacity as landlord, have requested SFO employees, contractors and visitors continue to wear face coverings in the common areas of 2 – 4 Cockspur Street. This includes the lobby, lifts, stairs, toilets, and reception.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 07/03/2022 10:28:06 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1463208

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse and Stalking: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment has she made of the ability of the CPS to effectively prosecute cases of stalking and coercive behaviour.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton South
	tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
	uin	2719
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2022 answer text <p>This Government takes stalking and coercive behaviour very seriously. Since the implementation of legislation, the number of stalking and coercive behaviour cases brought to court has increased year on year.</p><p> </p><p>To further improve the handling of these important cases the CPS has committed to key actions in the VAWG strategy and has recently published an updated programme of work on Domestic Abuse to help narrow the disparity between reporting and criminal justice outcomes, helping to secure justice in every possible case.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 23/05/2022 09:06:14 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1359411

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2021
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Correspondence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to improve her Department's response times to correspondence from members of the public.
	tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
	tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
	uin	56449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>This Government recognises the importance of responding to members of the public in an effective and timely manner, and the Cabinet Office published an updated Guide to Handling Correspondence for government departments and agencies on July 2021.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance reasserts the standards for handling correspondence, including a 20 working day deadline for departments to respond to members of the public, criteria outlining when a response to a member of the public is required, and when a piece of correspondence from a member of the public should be transferred to another department. Following publication of the updated guidance, all departments have been reminded that they must follow the processes outlined in the guidance. The Attorney General’s Office always aims to respond to public correspondence within 20 working days where it falls within our remit.</p><p> </p><p>My department's timeliness in responding to MP letters and Freedom of Information requests is among the best in the civil service. Since January 1<sup>st</sup> 2018, 80% of MP and Lords letters my department received were responded to within our target of 20 working days, and 99% of Freedom of Information requests were responded to within the statutory time limit. I am confident that public correspondence is responded to by my office in a similarly timely fashion and that every effort is made by my officials to respond as promptly as possible.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 25/10/2021 08:25:06 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

1484662

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2022
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps he plans to take to increase the (a) prosecution and (b) conviction rates from reported cases of rape.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	27649
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2022 answer text <p>This Government is determined to increase the number of rape prosecutions and convictions.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS is undertaking extensive work to drive up and improve prosecutions through their Joint National RASSO Action Plan with the police, the Rape Strategy, and the Operation Soteria Pathfinders, which are testing methods for best practice in six CPS Areas.</p><p> </p><p>Since this work commenced there has been a steady increase in the number of rape charges, prosecutions and convictions, quarter on quarter.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 05/07/2022 15:14:58 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1466112

	registered interest
	date	26/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) sexual assault and (b) rape offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	900270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>This Government is determined to increase the number of rape and sexual assault cases going to court.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS is undertaking extensive work to drive up and improve prosecutions through its Joint National RASSO Action Plan with the police, the Rape Strategy, and the Operation Soteria Path Finders, which are testing methods for best practice in six CPS Areas.</p><p> </p><p>Since publication of its strategy, the CPS has continued to see increases in the number of rape charges, prosecutions and convictions.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/05/2022 15:53:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon