§ Kate HoeyTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Department has to reduce the number of trials in youth courts that are adjourned. [60325]
§ Yvette CooperThe Lord Chancellor wrote to all youth panel chairs in May 1997, encouraging them to scrutinise all request for adjournment by questioning and probing the reasons advanced in support. In response to the call from Government to speed up case management in our courts the Magistrates' Association produced a training course on effective case management entitled "Can We Get On Please". The Youth Court Bench Book issued in September last year to all youth justices includes a section on case management, an adjournment guide and check list. Sample surveys of cases in the youth court suggest that the proportion of defendants who had the case against them adjourned fell from 78 per cent. in 1997 to 74 per cent. in 2001.
§ Kate HoeyTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Department has to take measures to discourage the tactical not guilty plea in youth courts. [60328]
§ Yvette CooperMy Department has been involved in an interagency review of measures to reduce delay in the magistrates courts generally. One of the outcomes of this review was that last year the Justices' Clerks' Society and the Law Society both reminded their members of the need to draw to the attention of defendants the fact that in 439W reaching a sentence the bench will take into account a timely plea of guilty. Further work is under way in respect to the Auld review.