§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Attorney-General whether the review of the Government's legal service will examine and make recommendations on all aspects of the management of legal staff of the Crown prosecution service and the office of the procurator fiscal.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe terms of reference of this review are to consider:
and to make recommendations.
- 1. what legal services are needed by the Government;
- 2. how those services can most effectively and economically be provided and organised, taking account of the Government's policies of privatisation and of contracting out;
- 3. what changes are needed in the management of legal staff in Government service, including their recruitment, retention, training, deployment and remuneration, so as to make best use of them;
The review will therefore cover the work of the Crown prosecution service and, I understand, the office of the Procurator Fiscal. However, it is unlikely to look in detail at the structure and organisation of the Crown prosecution service because the department is so new.
§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Attorney-General whether he is satisfied with the workings of the Crown prosecution service; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Crown prosecution service has now been in existence for almost 18 months throughout England and Wales, and slightly longer in the old Metropolitan local authority areas. It has had a difficult time, principally because it has not yet been able to recruit all the lawyers needed, and this has placed great strains on its staff, who have had to work long and hard to cope with these shortages. I am more than satisfied with their work.
There has also been a considerable amount of criticism of the service's work. Some of it has been well founded; more of it has not, deriving from shortcomings for which the service itself was not responsible. Despite its problems the Crown prosecution service is fulfilling the tasks set for it; there is now a prosecution service in every area of the country, national policies on prosecutions have been developed and implemented, and there is increasing evidence of an improvment in the quality of cases coming before the courts. The Director of Public Prosecutions has decide on a management strategy for the future of the service which will build on these achievements.
§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Attorney-General what changes have taken place in the remuneration of the staff of the Crown prosecution service since their salaries were debated in the House on 11 December 1985,Official Report columns 1009–24.
§ The Attorney-GeneralIn addition to the 1986 and 1987 Civil Service pay awards the following changes have been made to the pay of staff employed within the Crown prosecution service:
1. An allowance payable to Crown prosecutors and senior Crown prosecutors working within the London, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Kent and Thames Valley areas of the Crown prosecution service. This allowance is also payable to grade 6 lawyers working within the London, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire areas.
352W2. An additional allowance is payable to Crown prosecutors and senior Crown prosecutors who cover some weekend or bank holiday court sittings.
3. Following the transfer of staff from local authorities to the Civil Service a number of pay anomalies were identified. The great majority of these have been resolved and this has involved the payment of additional salary to some 500 staff.
4. An additional increment has been added to the salary scale maxima of those staff at grades 4 to 7. This increment will be awarded to those officers whose performance meets the criteria for payment of a performance point.
The following table indicates the salary scale minima and maxima of staff employed in the grades shown within the service, as they were at April 1985 and as they are now.
Salary scales Minimum and maximum Grade As at April 1986 As at January 1988 5 Chief Crown Prosecutor (Mainly) 20,964–25,533 124,765–29,465 6 Branch Crown Prosecutor (Mainly) 17,000–22,926 118,786–26,335 7 Equivalent to Senior Crown Prosecutor 13,508–18,363 115,030–21,092 Crown Prosecutor 10,500–15,000 11,603–16,576 Senior Executive Officer 10,980–13,801 12,225–15,779 Higher Executive Officer 8,896–11,265 9,985–12,878 Executive Officer 4,953–8,917 5,870–10,292 Clerical Officer 3,149–6,293 3,664–7,247 Clerical Assistant 2,898–5,054 3,314–5,799 Senior Personal Secretary 6,088–7,797 8,400–10,150 Personal Secretary 5,322–6,607 6,607–7,846 Typing Manager 7,600–8,800 8,400–10,100 Typist 4,400–5,720 4,964–6,363 1 Includes additional increment payable under the performance scheme.
§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Attorney-General how many officers have been seconded from outside London to London in each quarter since the Crown prosecution service was set up; what was the extra cost of such secondments, and what is the present shortfall of staff(a) generally and (b) in the London area.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe number of officers seconded from outside London to the three London areas since the Crown prosecution service became fully operational on 1 October 1986 was as follows:
- 126 in the quarter ended 31 December 1986;
- 160 in the quarter ended 31 March 1987;
- 132 in the quarter ended 30 June 1987;
- 33 in the quarter ended 30 September 1987;
- 26 in the quarter ended 31 December 1987.
The extra cost of such secondments was approximately £630,000.
As at 30 January 1988 the Crown prosecution service had vacancies for 718.5 staff. Of these 253 were within the London area.