§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was(a) the cost of the pre-trial hearings at Lambeth and Camberwell magistrates courts in 1990 in relation to Operation Spaner, (b) the cost of the Old Bailey trial proceedings in relation to Operation 254W Spaner in December 1990 and (c) the cost of the Court of Appeal hearing and subsequent ruling in February 1992 in relation to Operation Spaner.
The Attorney-GeneralI have been asked to reply.
The costs of the pre-committal and committal hearing at Lambeth and Camberwell magistrates courts were approximately £64,500 including the court costs, prosecution costs and the cost to the legal aid fund.
The cost of the trial at the central criminal court including the court costs, the prosecution costs and the legal aid costs was approximately £357,000.
The costs of the appeal are not yet fully available as the legal aid costs and the prosecution costs have yet to be determined.