§ Mr. Ron Lewisasked the Attorney-General how many persons are employed in the offices of the Official Solicitor.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General how many staff are employed in the Department of the Official Solicitor; how many of these staff are professionally qualified as barristers or solicitors; and what is the total annual expenditure on the department of the Official Solicitor for each of the last five years.
§ The Attorney-General156 Staff are employed, of whom eight are qualified as barristers or solicitors.
Expenditure on the department of the Official Solicitor for the last five financial years, allowing for costs recovered, is estimated as follows:
£ 1967–68 … … … 76,000 1968–69 … … … 104,000 1969–70 … … … 115,000 1970–71 … … … 150,000 1971–72 … … … 194,000 There have in addition been costs of office accommodation etc., which cannot readily be distinguished.
321W
§ Mr. Ron Lewisasked the Attorney-General how many offices of the Official Solicitor are in the regions; and if he will give details.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNone. The Official Solicitor is a servant of the Supreme Court; his offices are in the Royal Courts of Justice. In cases outside London, the Official Solicitor usually instructs local solicitors to act as his agents, and on occasion a member of his staff in London will attend.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General (1) if he will issue a circular to Her Majesty's Judges requiring them to notify all persons, committed for contempt of court for whatever reason, of their rights to have their case referred to the Official Solicitor for his intervention;
(2) by what machinery of justice, cases of committal for contempt of court are referred to the Official Solicitor.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Official Solicitor already receives notification of all persons committed for contempt except those committed for short fixed terms by county courts, and in accordance with a general direction from the Lord Chancellor reviews every case and initiates such action for their release as he considers appropriate, including the taking of instructions where necessary from the prisoner concerned.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General how many cases have been referred to the Official Solicitor, in each of the last three years, in which a person has been committed for contempt of court; in how many of these cases the reference has been by the committing court, in how many by the person concerned; and in how many cases he has intervened and with what result.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Official Solicitor was notified of 124 committals for contempt in the year ending 30th November, 1969, 143 in the year ending 30th November, 1970, and 181 in the year ending 30th November, 1971. In all cases the notification was by the governor of the prison concerned. No figures are available for the number of occasions on which the Official Solicitor was asked to act either by the prisoner or by the court. The number of occasions on which the Official Solicitor322W applied for the release of a prisoner in each of those years was 31, 23, and 27, respectively. All these applications were successful.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement defining the duties of the Official Solicitor.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23rd June to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis).—[Vol. 839, c.184–5.]
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General if he will refer all judgments of the Industrial Court, particularly those in which persons are committed for contempt, to the Official Solicitor for his investigation.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAll committals for contempt except those from county courts for short fixed terms are already automatically notified to the Official Solicitor including any from the National Industrial Relations Court, and reviewed by him. It would not be appropriate to extend this practice to all civil judgments whether of the NIRC or other civil courts.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Attorney-General how many persons are at present detained in Her Majesty's Prisons for contempt of court; in how many such cases the proceedings have been referred to the Official Solicitor; in how many cases he has intervened unsuccessfully; and if he will refer all cases in which he has not intervened immediately to him.
§ The Attorney-GeneralOn 15th June 13 persons were detained in prison for contempt, all of whom have been notified to and reviewed by the Official Solicitor. The Official Solicitor has unsuccessfully applied for the release of one of the prisoners.