§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Attorney-General what is the recommended retention period for prosecution papers by the Crown Prosecution Service. [40788]
§ The Attorney-GeneralArea offices of the Crown Prosecution Service retain files relating to cases finalised in the magistrates' courts for a minimum of 12 months after the final court date and those finalised in the Crown court for a minimum of three years. Cases handled in CPS headquarters are retained for a minimum of five years. Where there is a conviction, all case files are retained until the expiry of the sentence if it exceeds the usual retention period. Arrangements also exist to identify those prosecution files worthy of permanent preservation and to transfer them to the Public Record Office.
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