Crown Prosecution Service (Hansard, 28 November 1997)

§ The Attorney-General

My written answer on 21 May 1997,Official Report, columns 73–74, to my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Ms Blears) outlined the plans drawn up at my request by the Director of Public Prosecutions with a view to dividing England and Wales into 42 Areas, each having its own Chief Crown Prosecutor designated by 1 April 1998. These plans included establishing selection boards to advise the DPP in appointing CCPs. In order to facilitate speedy progress, this exercise was taken forward concurrently with the work of the independent Review of the Crown Prosecution Service which the Government had also decided to establish. The planning of the move to 42 Areas was to be informed by any views expressed by the Review Team led by Sir Iain Glidewell.

The selection boards have now been held but no appointments will be made as a result of this. This follows unanimous advice from the Review Team to me and the DPP to the effect that such appointments would be premature. They consider it essential that the eventual selection of Chief Crown Prosecutors should take full account of important recommendations they will wish to make about the character and responsibilities of those posts as well as the service as a whole. They have also made it clear that their eventual recommendations will maximise the opportunity to build on the move to 42 Areas and provide an improved infrastructure more suitable to a truly locally based service within a national framework. Consideration has been given to deferring appointments rather than abandoning the competition. This would have meant on any view a delay of at least five months. After consulting widely I concluded that such a period of uncertainty would be unacceptable.

This decision has inevitable consequences for the overall programme and the move to 42 operational Areas cannot now take effect until 1 December 1998 at the earliest. The precise time scale will be dependent on the full recommendations of the Review Team which I now expect to receive early next year and the Government response to them. No further steps towards appointments will be taken pending receipt of that report and its consideration. I regret the further period of uncertainty which this decision creates for the candidates concerned and all CPS staff. I am, however, convinced that it is in the best overall and long-term interests of the Service to proceed in this way.