§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are awaiting review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [124986]
§ Paul GogginsAt 31 March 2003, 282 cases were awaiting the commencement of a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Further details are available from the Commission's 2002–03 Annual Report available from the Library.
§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the cases awaiting review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission were referred in each month during the period that the longest has been awaiting review. [125419]
§ Paul GogginsA copy of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's 2002–03 Annual Report is available from the Library (and al so at: www.ccrc.gov.uk). This sets out that the Commission's case review process is divided into several discrete Stages. Stage 0 is for initial inquiries, Stage 1 to assess eligibility for a review, Stage 2 screen to expedite those cases that can be reviewed with only modest caseworker effort. Stage 2 involves those cases requiring resource intensive reviews. A few of these will proceed to Stage 3, which requires the formal appointment of an Investigating Officer. The main build up of cases awaiting review therefore occurs at Stage 2 and the Commission has provided an analysis of this. The table and graph indicates the length of time as at 30 June 2003 that in custody cases (to which the Commission gives priority) and at liberty cases have been awaiting the allocation of a caseworker prior to the start of a Stage 2 review. table and graph indicates t he length of time as at 30 June 2003 that in custody cases (to which the Commission gives priority) and at liberty cases have been awaiting the allocation of a caseworker prior to the start of a Stage 2 review. A table giving information on Stage 2 allocations will be placed in the Library.