Former civil servants to give evidence on role of Lord Chancellor and Law Officers

Giving evidence will be:  

• Sir Jonathan Jones QC (Hon), former Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary, Government Legal Department (2014-20); Senior Consultant on Public and Constitutional Law, Linklaters LLP  
• Sir Richard Heaton, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice (2015-20) and Cabinet Office (2012-15); Warden, Robinson College, University of Cambridge 

Topics that may arise include:   

• How the Lord Chancellor and Law Officers uphold the rule of law. 
• How the organisational structures of the Ministry of Justice, Attorney General’s Office and the Government Legal Department have adapted to the changing roles of the Lord Chancellor and Law Officers. 
• The effectiveness of the  relationship between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice. 
• The merits of combining the roles of the Lord Chancellor and the Justice Secretary. 
• Reforms to the role of Lord Chancellor. 
• The value of Law Officers over what could be provided by non-political legal advisers. 
• The aspects of the Attorney General’s role which require them to be accountable to Parliament.  
• The extent of the success of the CRA 2005 reforms, and the resulting separation of powers between the judiciary and the Government. 
• The appropriateness for the Attorney General as a member of the Government to be involved in some decisions about whether to prosecute. 
• The constitutional boundaries that constrain the Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers. 

The session will take place on Wednesday 23 March at 10.15 AM and can be followed on Parliament TV.