§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 July,Official Report, column 470, on perjury convictions, what was the average length of time between commitment of the offence and the charge being brought in the last year for which figures are available. [8689]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information requested is not available centrally. Information on time intervals for proceedings completed in magistrates' courts is collected by the Lord Chancellor's Department in selected sample weeks in February, June and October of each year. This includes the period from offence to charge or summons. Information for specific offences is not collected, as the sample size is not sufficiently large. In 1996, the average period from offence to charge or summons was 45 days for indictable offences (including triable either way offences).