Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
The dual role of the Lord Advocate
Open
Opened 9 Sep 2026
Scottish Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The Lord Advocate and her deputy the Solicitor General for Scotland each assume a “dual role” being both senior government legal advisers, and senior public prosecutors. There is a long-standing and ongoing political and constitutional debate within Scotland about whether the dual role should be split to better mitigate actual and/or perceived conflicts of interest between the two functions. This inquiry will appraise the case for and against splitting the dual role, and exploring different options for reform. Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry.
Where it stands
The inquiry is open, opened 9 September 2026.
The committee has not published a report yet.
Evidence
- 1 oral evidence sessionLatest 4 November 2026
- 9 written submissions
- 4 witnesses
Recent activity
- The dual role of the Lord Advocate – Session 14 November 2026, Oral evidence
- Hleb Buziuk, FairGo CIC28 October 2026, Written evidence · TLA0005
- The Law Society of Scotland28 October 2026, Written evidence · TLA0007
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2026 |
The dual role of the Lord Advocate – Session 1
Dr Andrew Tickell · Glasgow Caledonian University,
Dr Conor McCormick · Queen’s University Belfast,
Malcolm McMillan · Scottish Law Commission,
Michael Clancy · The Law Society of Scotland
|
View ↗ |
Written evidence
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| Reference | Date | Submitter |
|---|---|---|
| TLA0005 | 28 Oct 2026 | Hleb Buziuk, FairGo CIC |
| TLA0007 | 28 Oct 2026 | The Law Society of Scotland |
| TLA0008 | 28 Oct 2026 | Joanna Cherry, Ampersand Advocates, Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh |
| TLA0009 | 28 Oct 2026 | Scotland Office |
| TLA0010 | 28 Oct 2026 | Andrew Tickell, Organisation: Independent — submitting in a personal capacity |
| TLA0011 | 28 Oct 2026 | Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service |
| TLA0012 | 28 Oct 2026 | The Faculty of Advocates |
| TLA0001 | 14 Oct 2026 | Hleb Buziuk, FairGo CIC |
| TLA0002 | 14 Oct 2026 | Dr Conor McCormick, School of Law, Queen's University Belfast |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Andrew Tickell · Head of Department, Department of Economics and Law | Glasgow Caledonian University | 1 |
| Dr Conor McCormick · Lecturer in Law | Queen’s University Belfast | 1 |
| Malcolm McMillan · Former Chief Executive | Scottish Law Commission | 1 |
| Michael Clancy · Director of Law Reform | The Law Society of Scotland | 1 |