HC Deb 06 March 2002 vol 381 cc307-11W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Solicitor-General what the turnover of staff, broken down by type was in each region in each year since the inception of the CPS. [35947]

The Solicitor-General

[holding answer 14 February 2002]: The available turnover figures are set out in table 1 and table 2.

Table 1: Crown Prosecution Service—staff turnover
Turnover rate
As at now 1 January 2002 1 April 2001 1 April 2000
Avon and Somerset 3.6 3.6 13
Bedfordshire 3.9 6.9 15.5
Cambridgeshire 9.6 20.5 5.7
Cheshire 5.7 7.9 8.2
Cleveland 5.9 6.1 7.3
Cumbria 1— 1— 8
Derbyshire 12.4 8.3 5.3
Devon and Cornwall 2.7 4.1 5.1

Table 2: Crown Prosecution Service—staff turnover
Turnover rate
31 March 1999 1 April 1998 1 April 1997 1 April 1996 1 April 1995 1 April 1994
Headquarters 7.4 22.7 7.5 0.7 1.3 0.8
Anglia 9.7 8.8 0.6 0.9 0.2 1.0
East Midlands 4.9 6.5 0.8 0.6 1— 0.6
Humber 6.8 9.4 1.1 1.1 1.4 0.8
London 10.6 11.6 1.6 0.6 0.9 0.4
Mersey/Lancs 6.8 6.7 0.7 1— 0.3 1—
Midlands 7.5 11.6 1.8 0.8 0.2 0.3
North 5.0 2.6 0.6 1— 1— 1—
North West 7.9 6.5 2.4 0.5 0.3 0.3
Severn Thames 9.4 15.2 2.2 0.3 0.8 0.9
South East 8.5 15.3 1.1 0.5 0.4 0.5
South West 8.4 7.6 0.7 0.3 1.4 0.4
Wales 3.4 5.8 1.9 0.4 0.4 0.3
Yorkshire 9.0 8.7 1.3 0.7 1.0 1—
1 Less than 1 per cent.

Ms Dari Taylor

To ask the Solicitor-General what steps are being taken to assess the feasibility of implementing the recommendation made by Sir Robin Auld that the Crown Prosecution Service should take over from the police responsibility for charging defendants at the outset of a prosecution. [41697]

The Solicitor-General

The Attorney-General has agreed with the Home Secretary that the Crown Prosecution Service and police should pilot the proposals over a period of six months in five different areas: in Bath, the Medway area, Essex, the Wrexham area and in Halifax. The objective of the pilot is to identify the practical implications of implementing Sir Robin's

Table 1: Crown Prosecution Service—staff turnover
Turnover rate
As at now 1 January 2002 1 April 2001 1 April 2000
Dorset 6 2.4 1—
Durham 2.9 5.2 1—
Dyfed Powys 5.5 1— 17
Essex 7.4 3.1 11
Gloucestershire 1.9 9.3 4.7
Greater Manchester 7.4 6.7 10.5
Gwent 1.3 1— 4.7
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 8.6 8.2 10.4
Headquarters 6.4 10.6 12
Hertfordshire 11.7 12.1 11.6
Humberside 10.5 15.3 9
Kent 5 9.6 6.1
Lancashire 2.8 5.4 3.5
Leicestershire 7.2 4.9 5
Lincolnshire 4.1 12.6 4.6
London 8.4 12.9 11.6
Merseyside 5.7 4.1 3.2
Norfolk 8.7 7 6.9
North Wales 14.8 8.2 3
North Yorkshire 8.4 7 9.9
Northamptonshire 1.8 7.9 2.1
Northumbria 5.8 4.8 2.2
Nottinghamshire 6.2 4.8 1.6
South Wales 5.1 4.7 4.3
South Yorks/Admin. 6.8 3.9 8
Staffordshire 3.7 1 5.1
Suffolk 1.4 5.9 2.1
Surrey 8.5 12.1 7
Sussex 4.4 5.2 13.1
Thames Valley 9.9 8.4 17.9
Warwickshire 9.8 10.1 12.6
West Mercia 5.5 7.4 6.6
West Midlands 6.5 5.1 9.8
West Yorkshire 5.4 6.4 6.9
Wiltshire 4 2.4 9.4
1 Less than 1 per cent.

recommendation that the Crown Prosecution Service should determine the charge in all but minor, routine offences or where, because of the circumstances, there is a need for a holding charge before seeking the advice of the Service. Where there may be practical difficulties, the pilot will seek to identify how these can best be overcome. The Crown Prosecution Service and ACPO have been working closely together to set up the pilot which commenced on 18 February 2002. An evaluation report will be produced in autumn 2002.

Further details of the pilot are contained in a background note, copies of which I have caused to be put in the Libraries of both Houses.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Solicitor-General what budget was allocated to each CPS region; and how much of the annual budget was allocated to training, in actual terms and as a percentage of the total budget in each year since its inception. [35943]

The Solicitor-General

[holding answer 14 February 2002]: The table shows the non-ring-fenced running cost(NRFRC) budget allocated to each Area, the amount of this budget locally allocated by each Area to fund

Analysis of training budget against non ring fenced running cost budget allocations to areas
1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02
Area NRFRC Training Percentage NRFRC Training Percentage NRFRC Training Percentage
01 Avon and Somerset 3,460,000 20,520 0.59 3,782,397 6,500 0.17 4,426,805 16,500 0.37
02 Bedfordshire 1,464,000 7,000 0.48 1,521,180 10,000 0.66 1,753,584 6,200 0.35
03 Cambridgeshire 1,849,000 7,000 0.38 1,912,600 4,870 0.25 2,363,320 23,000 0.97
04 Cheshire 2,859,025 20,000 0.70 2,911,600 8,806 0.30 3,576,900 20,000 0.56
06 Cleveland 2,046,000 5,000 0.24 2,132,350 1,000 0.05 2,572,056 3,500 0.14
07 Cumbria 1,787,600 6,000 0.34 1,785,500 5,000 0.28 2,056,160 9,000 0.44
08 Derbyshire 2,447,663 13,000 0.53 2,578,450 8,555 0.33 3,136,018 26,800 0.85
09 Devon and Cornwall 3,266,665 17,900 0.55 3,444,300 9,050 0.26 3,964,709 21,725 0.55
10 Dorset 1,442,000 10,035 0.70 1,502,780 2,000 0.13 1,811,252 10,400 0.57
11 Durham 1,794,000 9,000 0.50 1,976,204 12,000 0.61 2,302,056 13,000 0.56
12 Dyfed Powys 1,619,000 8,000 0.49 1,728,500 11,800 0.68 1,973,107 11,250 0.57
13 Essex 3,362,495 3,000 0.09 3,420,800 15,250 0.45 4,100,900 13,750 0.34
14 Gloucestershire 1,380,000 10,000 0.72 1,425,418 5,000 0.35 1,624,686 17,800 1.10
15 Greater Manchester 9,415,075 20,000 0.21 9,752,500 19,706 0.20 11,293,480 40,378 0.36
16 Gwent 1,967,112 19,803 1.01 2,062,500 23,200 1.12 2,483,882 20,100 0.81
17 Hampshire 4,324,158 7,992 0.18 4,831,235 9,000 0.19 5,692,740 20,544 0.36
18 Hertfordshire 2,007,729 5,000 0.25 2,209,060 2,000 0.09 2,731,565 6,700 0.25
19 Humberside 2,463,000 17,738 0.72 2,508,000 8,763 0.35 2,808,450 12,716 0.45
20 Kent 3,943,894 15,444 0.39 4,237,750 6,564 0.15 5,016,453 33,115 0.66
21 Lancashire 5,261,511 20,000 0.38 5,439,141 28,000 0.51 6,323,380 50,000 0.79
22 Leicestershire 2,415,070 11,070 0.46 2,544,600 3,227 0.13 3,085,080 10,900 0.35
23 Lincolnshire 1,585,000 13,085 0.83 1,643,960 17,560 1.07 1,832,528 15,936 0.87
24 Merseyside 5,675,323 4,200 0.07 5,977,367 20,000 0.33 6,957,480 66,000 0.95
25 Metropolitan and City 27,787,531 116,000 0.42 28,585,703 130,000 0.45 34,940,980 160,000 0.46
26 Norfolk 1,876,000 8,000 0.43 2,008,210 4,600 0.23 2,407,060 5,000 0.21
27 Northamptonshire 1,576,430 9,600 0.61 1,710,025 30,050 1.76 1,998,580 52,100 2.61
28 Northumbria 5,430,400 17,000 0.31 5,762,178 16,715 0.29 6,929,696 87,500 1.26
29 North Wales 2,140,400 9,000 0.42 2,132,872 4,500 0.21 2,361,101 5,677 0.24
30 North Yorkshire 1,933,000 0 0.00 2,008,095 6,000 0.30 2,188,262 5,000 0.23
31 Nottinghamshire 3,926,140 17,950 0.46 4,151,900 7,000 0.17 4,773,597 8,799 0.18
32 South Wales 4,977,000 34,329 0.69 5,138,183 9,720 0.19 5,961,745 36,917 0.62
33 South Yorkshire 3,746,000 7,557 0.20 4,004,200 6,000 0.15 4,687,606 8,782 0.19
34 Staffordshire 2,983,400 10,000 0.34 3,129,200 8,500 0.27 3,569,740 15,500 0.43
35 Suffolk 1,530,000 2,000 0.13 1,698,422 0 0.00 2,069,760 4,800 0.23
36 Surrey 1,861,421 21,367 1.15 1,827,633 19,468 1.07 2,130,113 6,900 0.32
37 Sussex 3,203,300 44,172 1.38 3,306,661 5,616 0.17 3,872,722 33,012 0.85
38 Thames Valley 4,452,580 31,174 0.70 4,706,700 22,100 0.47 5,229,848 25,000 0.48
39 Warwickshire 1,003,000 2,400 0.24 1,041,400 3,319 0.32 1,144,080 500 0.04
40 West Mercia 2,737,116 13,730 0.50 2,831,352 4,700 0.17 3,171,313 13,000 0.41
41 West Midlands 8,835,565 46,800 0.53 9,770,500 54,500 0.56 11,360,398 38,100 0.34
42 West Yorkshire 7,315,000 57,500 0.79 7,809,185 31,419 0.40 9,159,749 54,900 0.60
43 Wiltshire 1,365,000 9,247 0.68 1,405,600 7,800 0.55 1,570,400 3,160 0.20
Total 156,514,603 728,613 0.47 164,356,211 609,858 0.37 193,413,341 1,033,961 0.53

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Solicitor-General what progress has been made in respect of Cm 3960, Summary of the report, paragraph 26, concerning the shift in CPS priorities from involvement in relatively minor cases to serious crime cases in the Crown Court. [35965]

The Solicitor-General

[holding answer 14 February 2002]: The CPS is making steady progress implementing changes to deliver the reforms recommended by Sir lain Glidewell in his review of the CPS to bring about better justice.

The CPS has been restructuring its front-line operation, working more closely with the police in the preparation training courses in actual terms and then as a percentage of the NRFRC budget.

The figures are shown for each year since the establishment of a 42 Area structure in the CPS. They exclude the costs of trainee time attending courses and the associated travel and subsistence costs. These are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

of magistrates and Crown Court cases, by establishing co-located criminal justice units and trial units, which focus resources towards the more serious cases and better support for victims and witnesses. By the end of March 2002, the CPS will have 51 dedicated trial units in place across 29 areas, focusing efforts on Crown Court cases. These structural changes are enabling early legal advice before charge, to ensure that prosecutions are built on secure ground. The CPS and police are currently piloting the recommendations of Sir Robin Auld that the CPS should take over responsibility from the police for determining the charge from the outset of the case.

More Crown Prosecutors are benefiting from greater exposure to Crown Court proceedings and their skills, experience and expertise in dealing with the more serious cases are being developed. The CPS is presently training 100 Crown Prosecutors annually to secure accreditation as Higher Court Advocates with full rights of audience to appear in the Crown Court on a more regular basis. They have gained positive feedback from the judiciary.

To support Crown Prosecutors, a modern IT infrastructure has been deployed providing a suite of up-to-date electronic legal reference products and a new electronic case management application is planned for 2003. More lawyers, caseworkers and administrative staff have been recruited in the last 12 months, from resources provided by the last spending review.