§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in the last five years the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken over a private prosecution and then dropped it; and if he will list the details. [21738]
§ The Attorney-General[holding answer 4 May 1995]: Crown Prosecution Service headquarters has asked senior staff who might reasonably be expected to recall private prosecutions which have been taken over by the Crown Prosecution Service and terminated to provide details of 528W such cases. The table sets out the number of such cases in relation to each CPS area and CPS headquarters casework division.
The numbers cited cannot be taken as definitive because the information given is based on staff memory. It relates to the period since April 1993 when the present CPS areas came into being.
Private prosecutions: prosecutions taken over and discontinued by the CPS since April 1993 Area Number of cases Reason for discontinuance Anglia 0 — East Midlands 1 Public interest Humber 0 — London 3 1. Public interest 2. Public interest 3. Public interest Mersey/Lancashire 0 — Midlands 1 1. Evidence North 2 2. Evidence 2. Public interest North West 0 — Severn/Thames 1 Public interest South East 2 1. Evidence 2. Evidence South West 1 Public interest Wales 0 — Yorkshire 0 — Headquarters Casework 2 1. Evidence 2. Evidence Total 13