THE PUBLIC service staff orders, which permit the Attorney-General's Department to charge fees for legal work and advice given to government agencies and statutory bodies, is to be reviewed by Cabinet.

Attorney-General Senator Dorothy Lightbourne made this announcement at Tuesday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House. She said the decision was taken after recent media reports that state attorneys were charging central-government entities for legal services.

She noted, however, that the public service staff orders will allow the department to charge for services carried out on behalf of government or statutory bodies, once it meets certain guidelines.

"The guidelines are that, if you wish to use a public officer, you should negotiate the terms of the agreement as to the payment with the head of that department, and if the person you are negotiating with is actually the head of the department, it should be done with the Permanent Secretary with responsibility for the public service," Sen. Lightbourne explained.

The practice (of charging) began in the early 1970s. The orders "did not prohibit public officers from making arrangements for undertaking work for payment for statutory bodies and corporate bodies established by the Government, and so the department would charge fees for work done."

Sen. Lightbourne noted that there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue, and so, the staff orders were amended in 2002 to allow members of the Attorney-General's Department to be paid an honorarium for their work.

According to Sen. Lightbourne, the decision by Cabinet to review the staff orders, as they relate to the Attorney-General's Department, is necessary, as the department holds a place of precedence in the country's legal system.