§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Attorney-General (1) what is the average length of time papers in cases which would require his authority if a prosecution were to take place, spend in the Director of Public Prosecutions' department, from being sent there by the police to a decision being taken;
(2) how many sets of papers in cases which required his approval for prosecution have been awaiting decisions by the Director of Public Prosecutions for more than three months, six months, nine months and a year, respectively.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThis information is not readily available. However, the average period between the time when the Director of Public Prosecutions had all the necessary material for his decision and the date of the application for my fiat in a sample of 71 current cases was rather under a month.
Of the current 29 cases in which, depending on the outcome of further investigations, counsel's opinion or other matters, an application for a fiat may be made: five cases were received by the Director more than three months ago, three of them are the subject of further 506W police inquiries and two are being considered by counsel; three cases were received by him more than six months ago; one of them is the subject of further inquiries and two are being considered by counsel; five cases were received by him more than a year ago, two of them are the subject of further inquiries and three are being considered by counsel; 16 cases have been with the department for less than three months.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Attorney-General (1) what proportion of the Director of Public Prosecutions' staff have worked all their professional life in his Department;
(2) how many professionally trained lawyers are employed full-time in the Director of Public Prosecutions' office; and for a suitable period how many sets of papers were sent out of the Department for legal opinions.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Department has 63 professionally trained lawyers in full-time employment; 12 of them have, apart in some cases for a period of pupil lage in Chambers, worked all their professional lives in it. No separate records are kept of cases in which counsel's advice is sought, but in the three months ended 31st January 1977 a total of 4,391 cases were submitted to the Department and in the same period it is estimated that about 93 cases were sent to counsel for advice.