HC Deb 22 June 2000 vol 352 c295W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the length of time taken for young offenders' cases to reach a conclusion was in the courts in each metropolitan police authority area in the last year for which figures are available; and what the corresponding figures were for 1997. [126963]

Jane Kennedy

The exact information requested is not available. Information on the time taken in magistrates' courts proceedings is collected by the Lord Chancellor's Department's Time Intervals Survey. Figures on the

Average number of days from first listing to case completion at youth courts1
Survey2 Greater Manchester Merseyside Metropolitan3 Northumbria South Yorkshire West Midlands West Yorkshire
June 19974 62 67 50 47 50 72 55
February 1999 47 62 35 48 43 86 55
June 1999 48 53 40 43 37 68 39
October 1999 45 53 48 51 49 75 45
February 2000 49 54 51 44 50 74 46
1From the start of 1999 analysis of the Time Intervals Survey has included certain longer cases lasting over a year that were previously excluded from the calculations. In this table however the results presented are calculated on the pre-1999 basis for comparability. On the new basis of calculation many of the figures for the February 1999 to February 2000 surveys would be a few days higher.
2The first listing to completion period for all youth cases is believed to show some seasonal variation making figures from June surveys slightly lower than the underlying trend, and figures from February surveys a little higher than the trend. For this reason comparisons across time for figures in this table are best made between surveys a whole number of years apart, for example February against February or June against June.
3Based on youth courts in the London area. Excludes cases dealt with at youth courts within the Metropolitan Police authority area but outside the London Boroughs. Includes youths apprehended by City of London Police and proceeded against in London Youth Courts (Youth Courts are not held at the magistrates' courts in the City of London).
4In the June 1997 survey the sample sizes for Youth Court cases were less then 100 in Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire and due to the small sample sizes these figures should be treated with added caution.

Source:

Lord Chancellor's Department Magistrates' Courts Time Intervals Survey