§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his plans to increase the conviction rate of directors who have traded fraudulently.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonProsecutions by my Department for fraudulent trading resulted in 11 convictions in 1991–92, 24 convictions in 1992–93 and 32 convictions in 1993–94. In relation to offences of fraudulent trading, as 463W with other prosecutions for which it is responsible, my Department's practice is to prosecute offenders wherever there is a realistic prospect of a conviction, where the other criteria in the code for Crown prosecutors are satisfied and where bringing such charges will enable the prosecution to put before the court an accurate picture of the defendant's wrongdoing as a whole.
These criteria will remain the basis for prosecution decisions.