§ 36. Mr. SkinnerTo ask the Attorney-General what recent consideration he has given to the work of the Serious Fraud Office with regard to prosecutions for fraud; and if he will make a statement.
§ 37. Mr. FlynnTo ask the Attorney-General what new proposals he has to improve the prosecution of crimes of fraud.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI am today announcing a review of the distribution of casework between the Serious Fraud Office and the fraud divisions of the Crown Prosecution Service in accordance with recommendation No. 36 of the Royal Commission on criminal justice.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the work of the Serious Fraud Office in the light of recommendation 36 of the report of the Royal Commission on criminal justice.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe distribution of casework between the Serious Fraud Office and the fraud divisions of the Crown Prosecution Service at present gives rise to substantial differences in the manner of their handling and the powers available which were highlighted by the Royal Commission on criminal justice. I have therefore decided that there should be a review of the handling of serious fraud and this is now under way.
This review will examine relative workloads and the criteria for allocating cases between the two departments; the organisation and management of investigation and prosecution work taking into account the role of the police in fraud investigations and of the DTI in company matters generally; and bearing in mind the need to secure timely and cost-effective prosecutions; and to examine the effect of the extended powers available to the SFO.
The outcome of the review will be material to the government's attitude to recommendation 36 of the Royal Commission on criminal justice.