§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Attorney-General how many and what percentage of cases in England forwarded by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecuting were discontinued in each year from 1994 to 1997. [33020]
The Attorney-GeneralThe number and percentage of defendants whose cases were discontinued are as follows:
Year Discontinuances as % of completed cases in magistrates' courts 1994 149,014 11.8 1995 145,472 11.9 1996 141,420 11.9 1997 148,852 12.1