§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separately for magistrates courts and Crown courts for 1984 the number of cases involving non-scheduled offences in which pleas of not guilty were entered; in how many of these cases verdicts of not guilty were returned; and in how many of these cases trial was by jury.
§ Mr. ScottThe information is as follows:
1984 Crown courts Magistrates courts Pleas 'not guilty' entered 195 6,357 Verdicts 'not guilty' returned 96 2,410 In all non-scheduled cases tried in the Crown courts, trial is by jury.
Notes:
1. The figures refer only to the principal offence.
2. The figures for the magistrates' court include motoring offences.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separately for magistrates' courts and for Crown courts in each of the years 1980, 1981 and 1982 and to date, the number of court cases involving non-scheduled offences in which a plea of not guilty was entered; and in how many of these cases a verdict of not guilty was returned.
§ Mr. Scott[pursuant to his reply, 8 February 1985, c. 713–14]: The information requested is as follows: