§ 5. Mr. HUTCHISONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of prosecutions of offenders within the last 12 months in which, on conviction, an order has been made by the judge for the payment of part of the costs of the prosecution which otherwise fall on the taxpayer; and whether there is any objection and, if so, of what nature to the extension of this practice to,all cases in which defendants are well able to pay?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Oliver Stanley)My right hon. Friend regrets that he has no statistics which would enable him to furnish the information asked for in the first part of the question. As regards the second part of the question, these powers are already possessed by the Courts, and it would be 511 outside my right hon. Friend's province to express any opinion as to the circumstances in which they should exercise them.