§ 66. Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Attorney-General what is the average period between a conviction and the hearing of an appeal against that conviction; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralIn England and Wales the average period between lodgment of a notice of appeal against a decision of the magistrates court and hearing of the appeal in the Crown court is 8.36 weeks.
Of appeals to the Court of Appeal, criminal division, against convictions in the Crown court 32.3 per cent. are ready for hearing within six months and 84.3 per cent. are ready within 12 months. The time taken for an appeal to be heard is governed by the amount of preparatory work involved, and in trying to list cases with the minimum of 394W delay the registrar of criminal appeals must ensure that counsel and solicitors acting for each appellant have adequate time to prepare their cases. Where delays in listing appeals occur they tend to be caused by the court's obligation to balance the conflicting needs of applicants who all wish their appeals heard as soon as possible. Those with leave to appeal against conviction, or short sentences, are, wherever possible, given earlier consideration than those appealing against long sentences.