§ Mr. Nicholas Brownasked the Attorney-General what resources have been allocated to the newly created fraud investigation group within the prosecution service; and on what basis these resources were allocated.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe fraud investigation group was set up in January 1985. Staff allocated to the group was as follows: a principal assistant director (grade 3) as controller and two assistant directors (grade 5) each heading a division of four senior legal assistants, dealing with the largest cases arising in, respectively, the Metropolitan and City police force areas and in the provinces. There is also a third, general fraud division, headed by an assistant director (grade 5) and having four senior legal assistants assigned to it.
The fraud investigation group divisions share with the general fraud division the services of a non-professional support team consisting of a senior executive officer in charge of about twenty five other staff.
From 1 February the fraud division were allocated the services of three accountants on secondment from the Department of Trade and Industry, one from accountancy services division and two from the Government insolvency service. As from January 1986 the fraud divisions are also to have the services of an examiner on secondment from the Government insolvency service to assist the accountants, and two further examiners will join them in February.
These resources have been allocated to the group in order to facilitate effective investigation—and if necessary prosecution—of major fraud cases. The lawyers and accountants concerned have been chosen with their experience in or aptitude for fraud cases in mind, but the number of lawyers and of non-professional support staff, available has been governed by the calls made on the director's staff by the setting up and staffing of the Crown prosecution service as a whole.