§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Solicitor-General what was the total expenditure by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years; what is the planned total expenditure for the current year and subsequent two years; what is the total and percentage real terms change in each year; and if he will make a statement. [125311]
The Solicitor-GeneralThe total expenditure by the Crown Prosecution Service in cash terms in each of the last five years; the planned total expenditure for the current and subsequent year; and the total and percentage real terms change in each year are as follows.
540W
Year Total expenditure £000 Total real terms change £000 Percentage real terms change 1995–96 315,083 — — 1996–97 319,823 -5,745 1.7 1997–98 320,602 -8,398 2.5 1998–99 328,347 -2,792 -0.8 1999–2000 331,493 -4,939 -1.5 2000–01 350,530 11,048 3.4 2001–02 336,930 -20,817 -6.2 The increase in total planned expenditure in 2000–01 includes, for example, an additional £9 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund to fund new investment in information technology. Planned total expenditure is available for one subsequent year only. The expenditure plan for 2001–02 is subject to the outcome of the current spending review, which will also set the expenditure for 2002–03.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Solicitor-General how many contested cases were conducted by the Crown Prosecution Service in(a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts and (c) in total, in each of the last five years and in the current year to date; and if he will make a statement. [125312]
The Solicitor-GeneralThe following table shows the number of contested hearings recorded by the Crown Prosecution Service in magistrates courts, in the Crown court, and in total, for each of the last five calendar years and for the period January to March 2000.
The table also shows the number of guilty pleas recorded in each period, and the number of magistrates courts cases which were proved in the absence of the defendant. Also shown are the proportion of cases which proceeded to a contested hearing and the proportion dealt with by way of guilty plea and proof in absence.
The overall number of contested hearings dealt with by the Crown Prosecution Service has fallen over the period under review, from 105,707 in 1995 to 82,355 in 1999—a fall of 22.1 per cent. However, the pattern of change in magistrates courts and in the Crown court has been rather different: the proportion of contests in magistrates courts has fallen with each succeeding year, from 9.2 per cent. in 1995 to 6.2 per cent. in 1999; and the proportion of contests in the Crown court has risen over recent years, from 22.8 per cent. in 1997 to 26.9 per cent. in 1999.
The reasons for these trends are believed to be as follows:
541WThere has been an increase in the number of magistrates courts cases proved in the absence of the defendant rather than proceeding to a contest, from 92,251 in 1995 to 114,880 in 1999: an increase of 24.5 per cent. Proofs in absence have increased since 1995 largely in response to a simplified procedure for prosecuting minor road traffic offences;The Plea Before Venue procedure, introduced in November 1997, has led to an increasing number of guilty pleas being entered in magistrates courts rather than in the Crown court. This has had the effect of lowering the proportion of contests in magistrates courts and increasing it in the Crown court.
CPS contests and contest rates 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 12000 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Magistrates court Contested hearings 84,403 9.2 72,812 8.0 71,558 7.6 67,156 6.8 61,901 6.2 15,284 5.9 Guilty pleas 744,247 80.8 737,510 81.5 766,836 81.0 810,952 81.7 820,741 82.3 214,744 82.3 Proofs in absence 92,251 10.0 95,142 10.5 108,831 11.5 114,133 11.5 114,880 11.5 30,846 11.8 Total hearings 920,901 905,464 947,225 992,241 997,552 260,874 Crown court Contested hearings 21,304 23.5 20,382 23.3 21,983 22.8 20,515 24.9 20,454 26.9 5,108 25.7 Guilty pleas 69,260 76.5 67,202 76.7 74,398 77.2 61,863 75.1 55,705 73.1 14,758 74.3 Total hearings 90,564 87,584 96,381 82,378 76,159 19,866 Total contested hearings 105,707 93,194 93,541 87,671 82,355 20,392 1 January to March