Speeches by Rigby.

“The Attorney General’s Office has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process predates the appointment of the Attorney General and sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligatio…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question. I have outlined the rigorous process that exists in the Attorney General’s office and, as I said, has existed across Administrations of all colours.”

“The statistic that you have highlighted is concerning. This is an issue more properly for the MOJ, but section 28 is used with judicial discretion. The CPS would say that there are clear and good reasons why it can be advantageous in particular circumstances to record evidence more contemporaneously. That is all the mo…”

“I am happy to take this one, Warinder. You are absolutely right to highlight this as a problem across the criminal justice system. On the third day after I was appointed, I went to the Old Bailey to meet with some of the counsel prosecuting some of the most serious types of RASSO offences to talk to them about a range …”

“As I said, these are more properly matters for the Legal Aid Agency and the Ministry of Justice. On the broader point that you raise, Warinder, I would agree, and I have heard directly, that the shortage of counsel in RASSO cases is a problem and its impacts ripple through the criminal justice system.”

“I have not as yet, but, as I said, I am speaking to people in organisations in my own constituency, and I am sure that these issues will continue to come up, because, as I said, the Government are committed to ensuring the sustainability of the legal aid sector.”

“We will be having discussions with colleagues in the same way that we will about the CPS, about the funding arrangement and the funding envelope. As we have referred to, both organisations play an incredibly important role in slightly different ways.”

“In relation to the report on disclosure, my understanding is that that is with the Home Secretary. Clearly, when it comes to the HO, we will review it and all the recommendations in detail. It is clearly important that we do that. On your wider point, Chair, there is and has been in the past an inequality of arms point…”

“I am sorry for triggering those horrible disclosure-related memories. I have some myself, so I know entirely what that is like. It is obviously really important that the technology that is being trialled, and that may well be implemented and expanded elsewhere, is used in the right way. Indeed, from the SFO’s point of …”

“I am happy to take that, Chair. The SFO obviously prosecutes the most serious cases of fraud, bribery and corruption. Since 2020, in the last four years alone, the SFO has brought over £1 billion into the Treasury from penalties. It plays an incredibly important role. It is right to refer to the cases that the SFO cond…”

“I have not, no.”

“Of course.”

“Linsey, I am happy to take this. I have spoken to the DPP about it only very briefly. My understanding of where he was going with those remarks to the Committee was, as you say, to focus on the early guilty plea issue and the differential in fees. The DPP would say one of his priorities is to increase the number of ear…”

“I am happy to take at least a portion of that, Linsey. You are obviously right to refer to the vital role that the CPS has to play in the criminal justice system as a whole and indeed in the safer streets mission. We were successful in securing a robust settlement in the first round of the spending review of an additio…”

“It is important that, in our role as Law Officers, our client is the Government and our Ministers rather than individual Members of Parliament who may or may not bring forward private Members’ Bills. I do not know specifically in relation to this Bill whether there was legal input in the drafting. There may well have b…”

“As the Attorney General made reference to previously, our client in our role of Law Officers is the Government and Ministers, not Kim Leadbeater in the context of this Bill or, indeed, any other private Member’s Bill. I know from experience that some of those involved in the drafting of private Members’ Bills and those…”

“That is more properly a matter for the Ministry of Justice as to how it wants to take account of that statistic.”

“I am Lucy Rigby MP. I am the Solicitor General.”

“The first thing, Chair, is that it is an incredible privilege to serve this country in the role of Solicitor General. You are right; I have some experience of parliamentary politics, but, as the Attorney General says, the most important thing is the quality of our legal advice, which is delivered to Ministers in a robu…”

“I would only add to what the Attorney General says that I think the response to populism is a clear, cross-Government issue, not just for us but for Governments in other countries. I very much agree with and echo what the Attorney General says about embedding the rule of law. To come back to Pam’s question, for me the …”