§ 51. Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to speed up the examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions of cases involving commercial irregularities.
§ The Attorney-General (Sir Elwyn Jones)The time taken to examine complicated commercial irregularities continues to cause anxiety and is now under active consideration by my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and the President of the Board of Trade and myself. However, I am satisfied that the time taken in the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions in examining these cases is not a significant factor.
§ Mr. MillsIs the Attorney-General aware of the great public concern at the delay which takes place, often many years, in bringing those responsible for commercial irregularities before the courts? I recognise that the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions is only partly responsible, but is the right hon. and learned Gentleman satisfied that there are sufficient full-time staff specialised in these fields available in the Department?
§ The Attorney-GeneralI am aware of that anxiety, and that is why my right hon. Friends and I are now looking at the problem. I think that the staffing of the Director's Department is reasonably adequate for the purposes of these inquiries. One of the difficulties is the immense complexity and the wide range of some of the "commercial irregularities", as they are so genially called in the Question.
§ Mr. Hector HughesWould the Attorney-General distinguish the commercial irregularities which occur in 1051 Northern Ireland from those which occur in the rest of Britain and give us the figures?
§ The Attorney-GeneralHappily, I am not responsible for the conduct of prosecutions in Northern Ireland.