§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means the processes of the Criminal Cases Review Commission are subject to continuous improvement. [45573]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyMuch of the commission's routine managerial effort is directed to continuous improvement of its processes. The Commission has an internal advisory Process Improvement Group (PIG) that is convened by the chairman whenever particular facets of the commission's processes require special review.
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§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the seven topics for special review that the Criminal Cases Review Commission's Process Improvement Group was convened to discuss during 2000–01. [45565]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe seven topics that were listed for special review were:
- Review cases;
- Plan operations;
- Manage finances;
- Provide expert staff;
- Provide Information Technology;
- Provide physical facilities; and
- Manage communications.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Cases Review Commission plans to encourage prospective applicants to seek legal advice; and how it will measure its progress. [45580]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyWhen corresponding with applicants, the Commission encourages applicants to seek legal advice. It has a list of legal representatives that it will provide without recommendation. It carries out a six monthly survey of the level of active legal representation, and gathers data on legal representation as submitted by applicants.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department(a) what improvements are planned at the Criminal Cases Review Commission to increase the rate at which case accumulation will be reduced and (b) how this will be measured. [45566]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe case accumulation at Stage 1 is already negligible. The accumulation at Stage 2 screen will be minimised by 31 March 2002, or soon afterwards The accumulation at Stages 2–3 will be progressively minimised during the period to 31 March 2005. The measures will include the numbers of cases in each tray and under review at each stage.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Cases Review Commission encourages its staff to improve their formal qualifications; and how this is measured. [45584]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Commission encourages all staff to improve their formal qualifications. Training needs and opportunities for staff are discussed at regular personal development reviews. The Commission's personnel systems maintain information on the achievement of formal qualifications.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Cases Review Commission determines which cases justify the formal appointment of an external investigating officer. [45579]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyIt is a statutory provision of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 that a committee of at least three or more Commission members determines whether or not a formal appointment of an external investigating officer should be made.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what aspects of(a) a legal background, (b) the criminal justice system, and (c) the 766W skills for effective casework, the Criminal Cases Review Commission has identified as appropriate for acquisition by its staff during training. [45582]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Commission continuously develops an integrated training programme, beginning from induction, and progressing through acquisition of the appropriate knowledge base and practical skills. For Commission members, case review managers and other case working staff, the emphasis is on legal background and other aspects of the criminal justice system, and the development of the skills necessary to carry out effective casework.
The training schedule that the Commission develops includes:
- Unsafe convictions;
- New evidence;
- Fair trials;
- Sentencing;
- Legal incompetence;
- Disclosure;
- Misconduct by investigators and witnesses;
- Guilty pleas and
- Identification procedures.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Cases Review Commission determines what constitutes a real possibility that a conviction, finding, verdict or sentence will not be upheld in court. [45567]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyIt is a statutory provision of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 that any decision that a real possibility exists that a conviction, finding, verdict or sentence would not be upheld at appeal must be made by a committee of at least three Commission members. The Commission will generally be looking for arguments not raised, or evidence not adduced, in the proceedings that led to the conviction, verdict or finding.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the measures for casework best practice incorporated in the Criminal Cases Review Commission's training programme. [45583]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Commission develops continuously an integrated training programme, beginning from induction, and progressing through acquisition of the appropriate knowledge base and practical skills. For example, for Commission members, case review managers and other caseworking staff, the emphasis is on legal background and other aspects of the criminal justice system, and development of the skills necessary to carry out effective casework. The training schedule includes: unsafe convictions; new evidence; fair trials; sentencing; legal incompetence; disclosure; misconduct by investigators and witnesses; guilty pleas and identification procedures.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Cases Review Commission determines if its policies are being optimised along its three dimensions of effectiveness, efficiency, and economy. [45575]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Commission distinguishes between effectiveness (achieving high output standards), efficiency (maximising output from its human and 767W physical resources) and economy (minimising the cost of those resources), and recognises that its processes must be optimised along all three dimensions. The Commission's annual business plan sets process goals along these dimensions, which should approach optimality.