§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps can be taken against lawyers who cause delays in Crown court proceedings by failing to provide timely and accurate information. [33842]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from Michael Huebner to Mr. Peter Thurnham, dated 17 July 1995:
CROWN COURTS TRIALS
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to the above Question about the steps being taken to reduce the time taken to bring cases to trial in the Crown Courts.Unfortunately, there will always be an element of delay in any court proceedings. For example, when fixing a date for trial account often needs to be taken of the availability of witnesses to attend court. However, the Court Service carefully monitors the speed with which cases move through the system and takes active measures to reduce avoidable delays.We have recently introduced a system of early plea and directions hearings in the Crown Courts. This scheme which is being phased into all Crown Courts this year will identify, at an early stage, cases in which defendants intend to plead guilty, and where a plea of not guilty is entered, will enable the judge to give directions about the preparations for trial. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 introduced sentence discounts for defendants who enter early guilty pleas, which will reinforce the beneficial effects of the early plea and directions system.In addition to these measures we have progressively increased the number of sitting days in the Crown Court since the beginning of 1995. Over the same period there has also been a reduction in the number of outstanding cases by 13%.We are also introducing new systems to collect detailed information on the causes of delay and will be considering, in conjunction with the judiciary and the Crown Prosecution Service, what more can be done to reduce them.Finally, I am pleased to report that twenty-nine new crown court rooms are due to open by the end of 1996.
§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps can be taken against lawyers who cause delays in Crown court proceedings by failing to provide timely and accurate information. [33842]
Mr. TaylorJudges have powers to make wasted costs orders against lawyers. They may also make observations for the attention of the paying authority regarding the work for which the lawyer is due to be paid fees from legal aid.