§ 20. Mr. Holtasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time between a person being charged and brought to justice; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe average waiting time from committal to trial in the Crown court in England and Wales in 1984 was 143 weeks overall, and 10.1 weeks for those defendants who spent some or all of this period in custody. We have in hand a programme of measures to curb delays, including the commencement this year of field trials of time limits on the bringing of criminal proceedings.