HC Deb 16 March 2000 vol 346 cc279-80W
Mr. Geraint Davies

To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the progress of joint working by the CPS, police and courts to reduce the average time taken between suspects being charged to being convicted or found not guilty. [113407]

The Solicitor-General

The CPS is continuing to work closely with the police and courts to improve performance. Measures include: advance disclosure in every early hearing case; a reduction in the number of adjournments after first hearings; more lawyer time spent on preparing for trials through the deployment of designated caseworkers to deal with straightforward guilty pleas; a reduction in duplication and delay by co-locating CPS lawyers in police criminal justice file preparation units.