§ 32. Mr. SteenTo ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about delays in prosecuting cases by the Crown Prosecution Service.
§ The Attorney-GeneralIt is the aim of the Crown Prosecution Service to work closely with the police and the courts to keep delays to a minimum.
§ Mr. SteenI am grateful to the Attorney-General for the full investigations that he has made into the case of Mrs. Chappell, an elderly lady who was knocked over on a pedestrian crossing and who had to wait a year, which was far too long, before the magistrates court finally made a decision. Will he confirm that, although the Crown Prosecution Service was not at fault, there were delays, both in the courts and by the police? Will he ensure that some investigation is made so that the public have greater confidence in the speed at which justice is carried out and that there is not such incompetence as there was in that case?
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe first thing to make clear is that, of course, the Crown Prosecution Service comes into a case only when it is drawn to its attention by the police. In that case, it took the police some time to investigate. However, it also took some time to bring the case on to trial, not least because of a request by the defence for quite a long adjournment.