Civil Servant Must Attend Court

Ordering a Civil Servant to Represent Contemptuous Ministers
Beggs v Scottish Ministers
HL
7 February 2007
Daily Law Notes Summary
A court was entitled to order a senior civil servant to attend
court to represent ministers who were guilty of contempt of
court. However, if a court was contemplating doing so, it should
raise the matter with counsel for the ministers and explain what
it had in mind, and why, so that the civil servant concerned had
the opportunity to take proper steps to assert his rights and
protect his interests.