Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved surgical instrument having an end effector mounted on the end of an elongate shaft extending from a handle. The end-effector is capable of several different operations, including grasping, cutting, and sealing and/or coagulating tissue, and one of the operations is controlled by a switch located on the upper surface of the proximal end of the handle. The switch is connected to the end-effector by a pair of electrical wire assemblies arranged to deliver an electric current to a component in the end-effector, for example, electrodes used to coagulate tissue. The electrical wire assemblies pass through respective pockets or chambers formed within the handle of the instrument, with an electrical connector contained within each chamber for connecting wires that extend from the electrodes on the end-effector to wires that then extend through the handle, for example to the switch, and on to connect to an electrosurgical generator. The provision of the pockets within which the connectors are contained, one per pocket, prevents the risk of insulation damage to the wires by the connectors, as the connectors are contained within the pockets. In addition, the provision of the pockets side by side provides a large separation between the two connectors, such that it is the hard for liquid to short the two connectors. <；Figure 19>；
