§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Attorney-General how many vacancies there were for professionally qualified staff in the Crown prosecution service on 1 April; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI have taken the hon. Gentleman's question to be confined to lawyer vacancies.
On 1 April 1991, there were 323.3 vacancies for lawyers in the Crown prosecution service against 1,800 lawyers in post, representing a welcome reduction from 23 per cent. to 15 per cent. over the previous year.