Staffing costs for employment legal work in the Attorney General’s Chambers have shot up since 2021, rising from £89,839 to £490,472 in 2025-26.
The figures were disclosed in a written answer to Onchan MHK Julie Edge, who had asked how many officer minutes at each grade had been spent on employment advice to government bodies and what this had cost.
While the AGC could not provide the specific time-recording data requested, it confirmed employment legal staffing had increased from one senior legal practitioner in 2021-22 to three full-time equivalents in 2025-26.
The answer stated that “variations between years reflect changes in staffing levels, pay awards, incremental progression and employer on-costs”.
Development
The AGC said the rise reflects the phased development of a dedicated Employment Hub within the chambers’ Litigation Division, following recommendations in Richard Wright KC’s independent review into the government’s handling of the Dr Ranson case.
The review called for chambers to be “properly resourced, particularly for employment litigation, which he said was likely to increase in volume”.
From August 2024, one practitioner has been on secondment to Manx Care, with costs transferred accordingly.
However, the Attorney General said the chambers could not provide the specific information sought by Ms Edge on officer minutes spent on employment advice to each department.
“The Attorney General’s Chambers does not hold time-recording data in a form which allows the identification of officer minutes spent at each grade on advice to individual Departments, Boards or Offices for employment matters due to the limitations of the previous legal case management system,” the answer stated.
A new system has been in operation since December 1 2025 but remains in its “initial implementation phase”.