§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many appeals against refusal of bail were granted in each of the past five years on legal aid; and what proportion of the total these appeals constituted;
(2) how many appeals against refusal of bail in each of the past five years in (a) district court and (b) sheriff court were forwarded to the High Court; and how many were granted;
(3) what was the total cost to his Department in dealing with appeals against refusal of bail for each of the past five years.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information requested is not available. Records do not distinguish between appeals against grant or refusal of bail, nor between appeals from the district and sheriff courts. Bail appeals are not recorded as a separate category of grants of legal aid.
The total number of appeals against grant or refusal of bail considered by the High Court over the past five years is as follows:
Year Number 1988 2,679 1989 2,820 1990 3,031 1991 3,301 1992 4,149 The estimated average court costs of hearing a bail appeal, including judicial, staff and accommodation costs, are £10.80 at 1992 prices.