§ LORD MOLSONasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will state the number of appeals to the Court of Criminal Appeal in each of the three periods of twelve months before and in each year after the day of the coming into force of section 4(2) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1966 which deprived the Court of Criminal Appeal of the power to increase sentences.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD GARDINER)Statistics are available only1398WA for complete calendar years. Section 4(2) of the Criminal Appeal Act came into force on October 1, 1966. The numbers of appeals dealt with by the former Court of Criminal Appeal and after that date by the criminal division of the Court of Appeal were 393 in 1964, 445 in 1965, 476 in 1966, 575 in 1967 and 833 in 1968, the latest year for which figures are available. The approximate numbers of applications for leave to appeal disposed of by the Court were as follows: 2,700 in 1964, 2,860 in 1965, 4,410 in 1966, 5,800 in 1967 and 7,900 in 1968. The estimate for 1969 is appreciably greater.