§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Attorney-General what was the net cost to public funds of administering the law courts in England and Wales in 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, and 1971–72; whether he will detail 425W that expenditure; and approximately what proportion was attributable to criminal trials.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI regret that information in respect of 1965–66 and 1966–67 is not available. The Royal Commission on Assizes and Quarter Sessions arranged for a special financial investigation to be made into the administrative cost of the courts in 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, and 1970–71, the results of which were published in detail as Appendix 15 of its Report Cmnd. 4153. Figures in respect of 1971–72 are not yet available, but will not be comparable, owing to the changes made by the Courts Act, 1971, in the respective responsibilities of the central, local and other authorities concerned.