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Written question asked by Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 May 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 29 May 2026. It was answered by Lord Hermer (Labour) on Monday, 1 June 2026 on behalf of the Attorney General.

Attorney General's Office: Conflict of Interests

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish (1) any interests that the Attorney-General has declared to his Permanent Secretary and the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests in relation to his work for Gerry Adams when a barrister at Matrix Chambers, and (2) whether the Attorney-General continues to receive payments from his time as a barrister at Matrix Chambers.

Answer

As has previously been set out to the house both in January 2025 and in June 2025, there is an established rigorous system in place within the Attorney General’s Office to ensure that a Law Officer would not be consulted on any matter that could give rise to a potential conflict of interest.

If a Law Officer were to publicly confirm specific matters where they were recused, this would infer that legal advice had been requested by the Government on a specific matter, which would risk a breach of the Law Officers’ Convention.

This process also sits alongside the established system in place for declaration Ministerial Interests. I confirm that my relevant interests have been published for the public record, including my previous employment at Matrix Chambers.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL104
Session
2026-27
Related items
Subjects
Attorney General Conflict of interests Fees and charges Matrix Chambers Adams, Gerry
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk