§ 35. Mr. DismoreTo ask the Attorney-General what is the present position concerning the review of the Crown Preosecution Service; and if he will make a statement. [28780]
The Attorney-GeneralI refer the hon. Member to my oral answer today to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Thomas).
§ 36. Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Attorney-General what has been the trend in the time it takes the Crown Prosecution Service to bring criminal cases before the courts over the last six months; and what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken. [28781]
The Attorney-GeneralData relating only to the Crown Prosecution Service are not available. However, the Lord Chancellor's Department collects data on the time between offence and completion of magistrates courts proceedings.
The latest available figures from offence to completion show that, in June 1997, the average time for defendants in indictable cases (including triable either way cases) was 136 days. This is a rise from 133 days in June 1996 and 132 days in June 1995.
Data collected by the Court Service show that the average time between committal and arraignment or start of the first main hearing in the Crown Court in 1997 was 12 weeks. This is a fall from 13 weeks in 1996 and 16 weeks in 1995.
The Government are determined to tackle delays in the criminal justice system as a whole. It will achieve this through the measures contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill, which will be reinforced by the extension of the statutory time limits regime.