§ Mr. Spearingasked the Attorney-General how many senior and middle ranking posts are currently filled in the establishment of the Metropolitan police solicitors' department and provincial prosecuting offices; and how many equivalent posts there are in the reorganised Crown Prosecution Service.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralLocal authorities employ a variety of different arrangements for grading staff in prosecuting solicitors' departments. Staff in the Metropolitan police solicitor's department enjoy the same terms and conditions as civil servants, although they are not in fact civil servants. For the purpose of this answer I have taken senior posts in the Crown Prosecution Service to be those at grade 5 in the Civil Service (the grade which will ordinarily be applicable to chief Crown prosecutors) and above; middle ranking posts are taken to be those at grade 6 (the grade which will ordinarily be applicable to branch Crown prosecutors).
It is anticipated that the Crown Prosecution Service will have 69 posts at grade 5 or above. There are at present 11 such posts in the Metropolitan police solicitor's department involving responsibility for work which will be transferred to the Crown Prosecution Service. In county prosecuting solicitors' departments 10 posts attract a salary on scales which, after abatement to take account of differences between Civil Service and local government pension schemes, have the same or a higher maximum salary than that for grade 5.
Comparable figures for grade 6 posts are not yet available on a national basis. However, in the metropolitan counties outside London there will be 36 posts at grade 6 (maximum salary £22,926). There are at present no posts in prosecuting solicitors' departments which, after abatement to take account of differences between Civil Service and local government, have the same of a higher maximum salary than that for grade 6 (other than those which will become grade 5 or above).