§ 31. Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Solicitor-General what recent assessment he has made of the record of the Crown Prosecution Service in bringing persistent young offenders to trial in Merseyside. [103806]
The Solicitor-GeneralDuring my visit to CPS Merseyside in September last year, I was able to see at first hand the efforts made by the CPS and other local agencies to reduce the time it took to prosecute persistent young offenders. The average time taken from arrest to sentence is steadily decreasing, and the Area anticipates further significant reductions as a result of fast tracking arrangements that are being adopted throughout Merseyside.
§ 33. Mr. DismoreTo ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the Commission for Racial Equality's investigation into the Crown Prosecution Service. [103808]
The Solicitor-GeneralThe Crown Prosecution Service is in discussion with the CRE regarding the proposed investigation and hopes to find an agreed way forward. The CRE will reach a conclusion and notify the CPS before the end of January 2000.
§ 34. Dr. George TurnerTo ask the Solicitor-General what progress he has made in ensuring greater effectiveness in the application of information technology within the Crown Prosecution Service. [103809]
The Solicitor-GeneralI am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in developing effective IT in CPS.
219WThe Review of the CPS led by Sir Iain Glidewell reported in June 1998. It recommended the creation of a new post, Director of Business and Information Systems. That post has been filled and an Information Systems Strategic Plan developed. This plan provides a two-step approach to delivering effective IT support to lawyers and caseworkers, as well as that needed for effective administration and control.
In July 1999, the CPS was awarded £12 million from the Government's Capital Modernisation Fund. This money together with existing CPS resources will fund Step 1, the Connect 42 project. This will provide access for lawyers and caseworkers to networked PCs across the 42 CPS Areas. It will also enable secure electronic mail connections with its partners in the Criminal Justice System.
Step 2 of the Modernisation Programme, the Compass project, is procuring a Managed Service through a PFI contract. This will use the IT infrastructure of Step 1, and complement it with a case management system designed to meet the needs of front line CPS staff. It will provide the ability to work with electronic case files and allow information to be exchanged much more easily with other organisations in the criminal justice system through speedier electronic communications between computer systems.
Piloting of the Connect 42 project is planned for March 2000, with national rollout following over the subsequent 18 months.
The CPS plans to advertise its requirement for the Compass project in the Official Journal for the European Communities in second quarter of 2000.
§ 35. Dr. PalmerTo ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the rights of audience exercised by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers in the higher courts. [103810]
The Solicitor-GeneralIn February 1997 limited rights of audience were granted to employed solicitors, allowing them to appear alone in appeals and uncontested cases in the Crown Court or to act as juniors in cases in which leading counsel are instructed. CPS higher court advocates began to exercise those rights in August 1998, since then the volume of work undertaken by them has gradually increased.
The impression that the Attorney-General and I have gained from our visits to various parts of the country is that the higher court advocates have been well received by judges and the Bar.
By mid-2000 nearly 200 CPS solicitor higher court advocates will have been trained. The CPS is now considering its future strategy for deploying its lawyers in the Crown Court in the light of the Access to Justice Act 1999, which grants full rights of audience to all lawyers.