Downing Street Says » The Attorney General

Asked whether the Prime Minister felt comfortable having a law-breaker making the law, the PMS said the Prime Minister s statement set out clearly that he concluded no further action was necessary given the investigation into the issue of the Attorney General s employee and the action that had already been taken. He had accepted her unreserved apology.

Asked when the Attorney General would make an unreserved apology to the public, the PMS referred journalists to the Attorney General s statement. Baroness Scotland regrettably had not retained copies of the documents and as a result she would pay an administrative penalty. That was the appropriate action.

Asked if the implication was that the law is wrong, the PMS said that was not the implication. There was a regrettable breach of the rules, it was investigated by the appropriate agency, a fine was put in place and a fine had been paid.

Asked if the Prime Minister accepted that it was particularly difficult as it was the Attorney General who had broken a law and if the Attorney General would stay in her job, the PMS repeated that the Prime Minister had said that regrettably Baroness Scotland had not retained copies of the documents as the rules had set out. A fine had been put in place and she had paid that fine. These were the rules.

Asked if it was relevant that she was the Attorney General, the PMS said the law applied to everybody.

Asked if the Prime Minister believed there was an extra duty on the Attorney General to be seen to be upholding the law beyond any other citizen, the PMS said all public positions had responsibilities and in this case they were set out in the ministerial Code.

Asked if the Prime Minister was satisfied with the situation given the Ministerial Code, the PMS said the Prime Minister had consulted the Cabinet Secretary regarding the Ministerial Code and was satisfied with the assurances he had been given.

Asked if the Attorney General had offered her resignation at any point, the PMS said she was not able to advise on that.

Asked what it said about the Attorney General s judgement that she had initially said she had done nothing wrong and now said she had made an inadvertent error, the PMS said the Attorney General had said that the UK Borders Agency had conducted a thorough review, that she completely accepted their findings, that she had paid the fine and that she had sincerely apologised for the error of not retaining copies of the documents she had requested.

Asked if the Attorney General attended cabinet, the PMS said that she had not, but that she did not always attend cabinet.

Asked if the Attorney General was discussed at cabinet, the PMS said she was not.

Asked if the Government viewed this in the same way it would a parking violation a technical breach like a fixed penalty notice, the PMS said she would not characterise the judgement. The rules had been implemented. It was the decision of the UK Border Agency. It was a decision that Baroness Scotland fully respected, as did the Prime Minister. The appropriate sanctions had been put in place.

Asked if the Prime Minister had spoken to the Attorney General this morning, the PMS said she would not comment on conversations between the Prime Minister and his Ministers.

Asked if the Prime Minister had felt the Attorney General s behaviour was unacceptable, the PMS said the Prime Minister s statement spoke for itself.

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» Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Attorney General

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