§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Attorney-General (1) on how many occasions, in each year since 1966, Ministers have signed public interest immunity certificates in criminal trials; [15099]
(2) on how many occasions, in each year since 1979, public interest has been claimed in the courts in criminal cases. [15100]
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe information requested is not collected centrally either by Government or by individual prosecuting authorities. My answer is therefore confined to the three prosecuting authorities for which I have ministerial responsibility. On the basis of the best information currently available, the number of criminal cases in which public interest immunity certificates are known to have been used is as follows:
CPS1 SFO1 DPP(NI) 1987 1 — — 1988 — — — 1989 2 1 — 1990 1 1 — 1991 — 1 — 1992 2 — 1 1993 4 — — 1994 3 1 — 1995 5 — 1 1 The Crown Prosecution Service became operational in 1986 and the Serious Fraud Office in 1988. The number of cases in which public interest immunity is claimed without ministerial certificate—for example, in relation to informants which is the regular practice—is not recorded centrally.
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