§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the public service agreement target for the respect of the rights of defendants and their fair treatment. [17061]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonI refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 23 November 2001,Official Report, columns 550–51W.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for reducing delay in the criminal justice system. [17056]
§ Mr. WillsThe Government regard the removal of unnecessary delay from the criminal justice process to be one of its most important tasks. They have taken a number of steps, notably those contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, to reduce delay. In June 1997, the average time for defendants in all criminal proceedings in the magistrates courts from first listing to completion was 35 days. By March 2001 this had reduced to 30 days, an improvement of over 14 per cent.
Public expenditure settlements for the various Departments within Government were set in July 2000 for three years expiring at the end of March 2004. The Government are considering carefully what targets to set for the balance of that period.