§ 30. Mr. Fletcher-Cookeasked the Attorney-General on what principles the Official Solicitor intervenes in litigation on behalf of persons who are neither under a disability nor poor persons.
§ The Attorney-GeneralEither when he is asked to do so by the court or in pursuance of the Lord Chancellor's general direction which obliges him to review all cases of committal for contempt of court and to take such further steps as seem to him to be appropriate.
§ Mr. Hoosonasked the Attorney-General what provision is made in the Official Solicitor's Department for an equivalent service to that provided by lay visitors from the Office of the Public Trustee.
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§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Official Solicitor has a staff of four independent lay visitors who visit yearly and report upon the welfare of many of the 3,800 patients for whom the Official Solicitor acts as Receiver, and also many patients for whom the Official Solicitor acts as guardianad litem in matrimonial proceedings. In addition there are 32 receivership officers who, when necessary, visit patients for the management of whose affairs they are individually responsible; and eight officers who deal with litigation concerning the well-being of children and see such children when necessary.
If, when the departments of the Official Solicitor and the Public Trustee are merged, the amount of work of this kind which may remain is sufficient to justify the continuation of the post of lay visitor now in the Public Trustee Office, that can be arranged.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General whether he will give details showing to what extent out of the total number of contempt cases reviewed by the Official Solicitor, between November, 1962 and February, 1972, the 1,125 were persons with no criminal records and in the 214 cases for which he applied to the court for the contemnor's release how many arose from non-criminal offences; and whether he will give a breakdown of this figure giving categories of such cases.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Official Solicitor is generally only concerned with cases of civil contempt; in such cases no inquiry is made as to whether the contemnor has a criminal record since it is not relevant. The information asked for by the hon. Member is therefore not available.