§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to disband the Crown Prosecution Service and put the provision of prosecution solicitors out to competitive tender and provide for payment by results.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAs I announced to the House on 27 April 1994,Official Report, column 234, all my departments are considering the question of prior options and the possibility of agency status. In line with general Government policy, these questions involve consideration of privatisation, contracting out and market testing, but no decisions have yet been made. An inter-departmental group of officials including representatives of the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Treasury and the Office of Public Service and Science are at present examining these options and the possibility of agency status in respect of both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office.
I expect the group to report to me around the end of the year and that I should then consult ministerial colleagues with the intention of reaching decisions in the earlier part of next year.