§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of completed proceedings in Crown courts following(a) a guilty plea and (b) a not guilty plea; and if he will make a statement. [99792]
§ Mr. StrawThe average cost of completed proceedings in the Crown court is £2,600 following a guilty plea and £17,550 following a not guilty plea. In both cases, there is an additional cost of £1,050 incurred at the magistrates courts, as a result of committal proceedings.
These costs relate to the calendar year 1997 and financial year 1997–98, the most recent period for which comprehensive information is available. They were taken from the Home Office Research Finding No. 103, "The Cost of Criminal Justice", which was published on the 15 November. This report is available on the internet at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/areas/econpf.htm.