§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he now has to ensure that remand prisoners are brought to trial within a reasonable time. [24794]
§ Mr. Jonathan EvansCases where defendants are on remand are treated as a priority in the magistrates courts and Crown court. In the Crown court, with the national introduction of plea and directions hearings, defendants who are remanded in custody are brought before the court within four weeks of committal, and a date is given for the trial, unless there is a good reason for not doing so. For both the Crown court and the magistrates courts, a sub-group of the trials issues group is considering the operation of current time guidelines and in particular the extent of compliance with those guidelines.
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§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many cases in each of the last three years for which figures are available courts in England and Wales met the 70-day limit in magistrates courts and 112 days in Crown courts for bringing remand prisoners to trial. [24795]
§ Mr. EvansFor the Crown court, defendants on remand were brought to trial within 112 days as follows: 1993: 16,579 (77 per cent), 1994: 17,632 (74 per cent), 1995: 19,373 (77 per cent). Figures are not collected in the magistrates' courts on the same basis. However, sample figures indicate that the proportion of defendants remanded in custody throughout, whose proceedings within the magistrates' courts were completed within 70 days is as follows: 1993: 81 per cent, 1994: 84 per cent, 1995: 81 per cent.