§ Baroness MacLeod of Borveasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the total costs of the prosecution of the nurses at Rampton Hospital in the magistrates' court and in the Crown court and who pays the cost.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone)The total cost to the public purse of any prosecution comprises several separate elements which are borne by different departments concerned with the administration of criminal justice. With the exception of the fees paid to prosecuting counsel, such costs form an integral part of the running costs of individual departments. It is not possible to evaluate the cost of the resources applied to individual cases. It is not the practice of the Director of Public Prosecutions to disclose the fees paid to prosecuting counsel in individual cases.