War Crimes Act 1991: Cost (Hansard, 23 February 1995)

§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch)
My Lords, costs to the end of the last financial year were £5.2 million.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that reply. Does she agree that that is a shocking waste of taxpayers' money which could have been better expended, for example, on improving war widows' pensions?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, on a number of occasions Parliament has determined that these cases should be pursued. As long as that is done the money must be available for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out their work.

§ Lord Wyatt of Weeford
My Lords, does the Minister agree that were there only one person guilty of these foul war crimes it is right that he should be brought to justice and the money expended?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, it is true that they were terrible crimes. The principle which underpins the Act of Parliament is that there should not be a time-bar on searching out criminals, particularly murderers.

§ Lord Campbell of Alloway
My Lords, can my noble friend the Minister confirm that although it appears from the Official Report of the other place of 12th January that the funding of this unit is to end on 31st March the investigations are going to continue just the same?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, it is true that specific funding for the unit will end on 31st March, but as long as there is a possibility of evidence being made available then those cases will be pursued.

§ Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone
My Lords, am I right in believing that since the passing of the Act no proceedings have emerged into a trial?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, that is true. Perhaps I may bring the arithmetic up to date. Out of 369 cases investigated by the Metropolitan Police crimes unit, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute in 239 cases, in 112 instances the subject having died.
1246 Eighteen investigations remain with the police and the CPS is considering whether seven cases, with their evidence, should be prosecuted in court.

§ Lord Acton
My Lords, is the Minister aware that in 1989 the Hetherington-Chalmers inquiry reported three key cases with a realistic prospect of conviction? Is she further aware that on 11th March last year the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, wrote to me saying that one of those cases had been abandoned through lack of evidence and that a second case had been abandoned because the suspect had died? As regards the third case, on which this entire edifice is based, can the Minister say whether that case too has been abandoned? If not, can the Minister say whether a realistic prospect of a conviction in that case remains?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I am not able to give a definitive answer about the specific case mentioned by the noble Lord. I shall write to him. It may well be that it is one of the seven cases under consideration at the moment. It must be a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service and the recommendations made by the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General as to whether a case should be pursued. It must then be a matter for the courts to determine whether the evidence can be sustained.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, as regards the 18 remaining cases, can the Minister say what are the ages of the eldest and youngest person under investigation?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I believe that the eldest is 83 years of age and the youngest 67 or 68.

§ Viscount Caldecote
My Lords, can my noble friend say how long these investigations are going to be allowed to continue?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, as long as necessary.