§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on her Department's policy when(a) conducting legal proceedings and (b) seeking legal advice as to the circumstances in which Queen's Counsel should be instructed; and for each of the last three years (i) on how many occasions his Department instructed Queen's Counsel and (ii) what was the total cost of instructing Queen's Counsel. [81763]
§ Mrs. BeckettThe Privy Council Office rarely, if ever, institutes legal proceedings, but is from time to time required to respond to proceedings initiated by third parties. In such cases the Department would be advised by the Treasury Solicitor's Department on the need to instruct counsel. However, there have been no recent instances (and none within the last three years) when it has been necessary to instruct counsel on behalf of my Department.