§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Solicitor-General how many reports Lord Birt has submitted to the Attorney-General in his capacity as an adviser on crime; and if he will make a statement. [158235]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe Attorney-General and I received a briefing from Lord Birt setting out his emerging findings, prior to our meeting with him. Aside from that, the work undertaken by Lord Birt was considered alongside that undertaken by the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and Her Majesty's Treasury in preparing the Government's strategy document "Criminal Justice: the Way Ahead".
§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions, and on what dates,(a) he and (b) the Attorney-General have met Lord Birt in his capacity as an adviser on crime since his appointment; and if he will make a statement about the contribution of Lord Birt to his Department's policies. [158228]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe Attorney-General and I have had one substantive meeting with Lord Birt. The work undertaken by Lord Birt was considered alongside that undertaken by the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and Her Majesty's Treasury in preparing the Government's strategy document "Criminal Justice: the Way Ahead".