§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to ensure persistent re-offenders are processed quickly through the penal system. [1180]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Government have introduced procedural reforms which were implemented in November 1999, which require that any person (with or without previous convictions) who is charged with an offence must be brought before a magistrates court without delay. As a result the average time from charge to first listing has fallen from 20 days in June 1999 to six days in March 2001. Further action is under way to speed up the progress of cases from their first appearance until completion.
Under s.51 of the Crime and Disorder Act, which was brought into effect nationally on 15 January 2001, cases involving adults charged with indictable-only offences are no longer subject to committal proceedings but must be sent straight to the Crown court from a first appearance before the magistrates. Although no data are yet available, it is hoped that these serious cases will as a result be brought to trial more quickly.
In addition, good progress has been made towards halving the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders: the national average fell from 142 days in 1996 to 83 days in March 2001.