HC Deb 09 June 1998 vol 313 cc499-502W
Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the procurator fiscal posts in respect of which decisions have been taken not to replace an existing fiscal since 1 May 1997; and if he will state the reason for this decision in each case. [44818]

Mr. McLeish

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is an independent Government Department under the direction of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.

Letter from John Fox to Ms Linda Perham, dated 9 June 1998: In the absence of the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on breast cancer in England. The numbers of newly diagnosed cases and incidence rates per 100,000 females of breast cancer (International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision, ICD9, 174) in England, 1989–1993 (the last five years for which data are available), are shown in the table.

The only Procurator Fiscal post in respect of which a decision has been taken not to replace an existing fiscal since 1 May 1997 is at Alloa. This decision was taken in May 1998.

The reason for this decision was to ensure good management and operational effectiveness.

Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total number of working days and cost thereof in(a) 1996–97 and(b) 1997–98 in respect of which ad hoc deputies were engaged by the Procurator Fiscal Service in each regional area of the service. [44812]

Mr. McLeish

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service is an independent Government Department under the direction of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.

The total number of working days and cost of ad hoc Procurator Fiscal deputies by region for 1996–97 and 1997–98 were:

1996–97 1997–98
Days Cost (£) Days Cost (£)
Grampian 242 31,509 81 10,575
Tayside 890 115,678 113 14,681
Lothian 67 8,752 164 21,337
Glasgow 556 72,359 605 78,727
N. Strathclyde 291 37,887 194 25,272
S. Strathclyde 121 15,755 52 6,836

The number of days are approximate and have been derived by dividing the known total cost by an average daily cost.

Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure was incurred in 1997–98 in respect of the operational running costs of the Procurator Fiscal Service. [44814]

Mr. McLeish

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service is an independent Government Department under the direction of my noble and learned friend the Lord Advocate.

Departmental running costs in 1997–98 were £44,237,000, of which £36,064,000 represented the operational costs of the Procurator Fiscal Service.

Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many legally-qualified members of staff were employed in each regional area of the Procurator Fiscal Service on 31 March in(a) 1996,(b) 1997 and(c) 1998; and what was the agreed complement of such staff for each area on these dates. [44811]

Mr. McLeish

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is an independent Government Department under the direction of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.

The numbers of legally qualified staff employed in each regional area of the Procurator Fiscal Service are as follows:

Region Date Legal staff employed
Grampian, Highland Island 31 March 1996 30
31 March 1997 32
31 March 1998 30
Tayside, Central and Fife 31 March 1996 39.3
31 March 1997 46.1
31 March 1998 44.5
Lothian and Borders 31 March 1996 38.5
31 March 1997 36.9
31 March 1998 40.7
Glasgow 31 March 1996 62.7
31 March 1997 66.5
31 March 1998 63.9
North Strathclyde 31 March 1996 34.4
31 March 1997 37
31 March 1998 36.5
South Strathclyde 31 March 1996 39.2
31 March 1997 41.9
31 March 1998 42.7

There is no fixed complement staff.

Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the case-related expenditure in each regional area of the Procurator Fiscal Service in(a) the financial year immediately prior to the implementation of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and(b) each complete financial year since its implementation in respect of (i) solemn proceedings in the High Court, (ii) solemn proceedings in the Sheriff Court and (iii) summary proceedings. [44815]

Mr. McLeish

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service is an independent Government Department under the direction of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate.

The case-related expenditure in each region prior to the implementation of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and then subsequent to the Act was:

£000
Prior 1995–96 Subsequent 1996–97 1997–98
Grampian 746 754 711
Tayside 1,476 1,705 1,517
Lothian 1,113 1,115 1,282
Glasgow 1,682 1,391 1,174
North Strathclyde 973 849 802
South Strathclyde 1,104 1,124 949

The specific information requested on solemn and summary proceedings is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Further details of operations and costs are contained in the Department's Annual Report, a copy of which is in the House Library.

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