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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

1220624

registered interest
date	03/07/2020
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Administration of Estates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many estates of people who died without known entitled relatives and left a will were referred to the Bona Vacant Division of the Government Legal Department in (a) March, (b) April and (c) May in (i) 2019 and (ii) 2020.
tabling member constituency	Bath
tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
uin	68760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2020 answer text <p>The Bona Vacantia Division (BVD) of the Government Legal Department (GLD) deals with the solvent estates of people domiciled in England &amp; Wales who appear to have died <strong>without</strong> leaving a valid will or relatives entitled to share in their estates in priority to the Crown. It therefore does not generally deal with estates where there is a valid will.</p><p> </p><p>If the referral contains information which suggests the deceased has left a valid will disposing of their entire estate, it will be returned to the person who referred it. The Division does not keep a record of these estates.</p><p> </p><p>If the deceased does not appear to have left a valid will or entitled relatives, the estate will be advertised on the Division’s website.</p><p> </p><p>Occasionally the Division determines that the deceased has left a valid will which disposes of the entire estate after it has been advertised. There were two such estates referred in March 2019; two in April 2019; none in May 2019; one in March 2020; one in April 2020 and one in May 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Estates where the deceased has left a valid will but it does not dispose of the entire estate are sometimes referred to the Division because the undisposed residue passes by intestacy to the Crown. One such estate was referred to the Division in March 2019 and one in April 2019. There have been no other referrals in the months concerned.</p><p> </p><p>During the corresponding period, the number of estates referred to the Division where there was no will or no will has subsequently come to light were: March 2019 = 296; April 2019 = 187; May 2019 = 160; March 2020 = 192; April 2020 = 204; May 2020 = 81.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 10/07/2020 12:47:20 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

1202420

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Intestacy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, if she will make it her policy to strengthen the guidance issued by the Government Legal Department to local authorities on handling the estates of people who have died without (a) known entitled relatives and (b) leaving a will to ensure that they refer all eligible estates as soon as possible after death to the Bona Vacantia Division and do not pass the details directly to a single heir hunting firm.
tabling member constituency	Bath
tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
uin	58046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department (GLD) handles the estates of people who die without known entitled relatives, and without leaving a will. There is no statutory obligation to refer estates to GLD. However, GLD publishes guidance on the matter. In addition, local authorities can and do seek advice from GLD about the referral of specific cases.</p><p> </p><p>GLD does not provide advice to local authorities on the use of heir hunters.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 24/06/2020 16:23:59 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse