§ 30. Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham)If he will make a statement on the average length of time between arrest and trial. [146806]
§ 34. Mr. George Mudie (Leeds, East)If he will make a statement on the length of time the CPS takes to bring cases to court. [146810]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe average length of time between the commencement of proceedings and trial, or guilty plea, is reducing. The latest available data on all defendants in the magistrates courts shows that the average time fell to 49 days in September 2000. As for the Crown court, the average time between charge and committal for trial is also falling. The average time for adult defendants fell to 89 days in September 2000. The figures for youth defendants show a reduction to 85 days between arrest and committal.
The Crown Prosecution Service has made a substantial contribution to the achievement of those results. I am confident that the additional funding that I have mentioned, and other changes, will maintain this encouraging progress.
§ Mr. BercowI am grateful to the Solicitor-General for his characteristically comprehensive reply.
Although I accept that a reduction in the average length of time between arrest and trial is an important policy objective, does the hon. and learned Gentleman in turn accept that it is less important than the pursuit of justice and the nature of the trial itself? Will he belatedly acknowledge that the proposed removal of the right to trial by jury in a number of very important cases is a gross affront to justice, and that even at this stage the Government should withdraw their disgraceful proposal?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI do not accept the hon. Gentleman's point about the mode-of-trial proposals, which concern only a small number of cases. As for his point about quick justice, under the last Government the time was 142 days for persistent young offenders, which was simply unacceptable. It did not bring home to wrongdoers the need for them to change their ways. We have now reduced the time to under 100 days—an average of about 94 days nationwide, although in some areas it is much lower than that. The idea is to bring persistent young offenders before the courts quickly, so that they have to address their wrongdoing. I think that that is the right policy.
§ Mr. MudieWill my hon. and learned Friend comment on the time between arrest and trial of youngsters, particularly in the light of a recent case in my 439 constituency? A young lad abused an antisocial behaviour order within a week of its imposition. That was last March, but the case was brought to trial only a few weeks ago. Does that indicate that our pledge is being met, or does it indicate—more interestingly, and more worryingly—a lack of interest in the success of ASBOs on the part of the CPS?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralIt certainly does not indicate a lack of interest. We take antisocial behaviour orders very seriously.
I cannot explain why that case took so long without knowing more about it. In some cases, the offending of persistent young offenders is linked with that of adult offenders; such cases might go to the Crown court. That might explain the delay, but if my hon. Friend gives me details I will look into the matter.
In my hon. Friend's area, the average time is down to the national average of about 94 days. That is good news, but I reiterate that we are driving the figure down even more. We must meet the 71-day pledge, and we are on track to do so later this year.
§ Mr. Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire)Is the Solicitor-General satisfied with the time that it takes to get a case that is referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission to the Court of Appeal?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThat does not fall within my responsibility. There are a number of possible reasons for the delay. Such cases are often extremely complicated, and some—including the one in which the hon. Gentleman has an interest—are historic, often requiring detailed investigation. Generally, however, we are trying to speed up justice, and we are achieving that aim.
§ Mr. David Kidney (Stafford)The CPS is one of many contributors to the prosecution process. Does my hon. and learned Friend accept that there is still scope for improved co-ordination and co-operation between all those contributors to speed up cases?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralOne of the beneficial effects of the persistent young offender pledge and of other changes, such as the Narey changes, which I mentioned to my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence), is that the different agencies are now working together. Under the previous Administration, they were very much autonomous institutions. They now have to work together, and they are working together. Recently, as my hon. Friend knows, I visited the CPS in his constituency and saw how successfully it is working with police. Under the Glidewell changes, which are now being rolled out nationwide, prosecutors are often with the police in police stations making quick decisions.