HC Deb 27 February 2002 vol 380 cc1332-3W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of time was spent by senior lawyers in(a) administration and management and (b) considering cases and advocacy in the latest year for which figures are available. [35949]

The Solicitor-General

[holding answer 14 February 2002]: The CPS does not collect data on the time individual senior lawyers spend on administrative and management functions and on file review and advocacy duties.

The CPS is implementing the recommendations of Sir lain Glidewell in his review of the CPS published in 1998 and is well advanced in setting up a new organisational structure based on Criminal Justice Units and Trial Units. A senior lawyer supported by a business manager heads each of these operational units. This mirrors the relationship at area level between the Chief Crown Prosecutor and the Area Business Manager, and at national level between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief Executive. The role of the business manager is to manage the unit's administrative and business processes, thus releasing the senior lawyer to focus on a personal portfolio of the more serious cases, leadership, criminal justice liaison and line management of the prosecutors in the unit.

Training from April 2001—present
Status Course title Duration(days) Target Group Provider Numbers Trained
Regional
Development Selection Interviewing 4 Selection panellists (B1 or above) CPS 91
Development Business Writing Skills 1 Administrative staff Plain Language Commission 30
Development Completing Application Forms 0.5 All staff CPS 43
Development Effective Communication — All CPS 52
Development Job Holder Awareness — New staff CPS 95
Development EFQM — Unit heads and service centre managers — 50
National
Development Diversity 1 or 2 All staff Ionan 4,500
Development Influencing and Negotiation Skills 2 ABMs/senior managers JSB 30
Development Project Management 2 ABMs/senior managers Invicta Training 60
Regional
Legal Firearms — Lawyers CPS 11
Legal Advocacy — Lawyers CPS 81
Legal Homicide 2 Lawyers CPS 23
Legal Drafting Indictments 2 Lawyers and caseworkers CPS 36
Legal Handling Complaints Against the Police — Lawyers CPS 16
Legal Identification — Lawyers CPS 70
Legal RIPA — Lawyers CPS 24
Legal Misuse of Drugs — Lawyers CPS 28
Legal Disclosure — Lawyers CPS 100
Legal Fraud — Lawyers CPS 19
Legal Child Abuse — Lawyers CPS 20
Legal ECHR — Lawyers CPS 84
Legal Victim and Witness Care 1 or 0.5 Casework and administrative Staff CPS 16
National
Legal Legal Trainee Scheme — — Compulsory courses—several providers including LPS, Inns of Court and Central Law Training 34
Legal Youth Offenders 2 Lawyers—youth specialists CPS Lawyer tutors 464
Legal Higher Court Advocacy 6 Barristers/Lawyers Assessed by Nottingham Law School (CPS Tutors) 7
Legal Graduated Fees 2 All Lawyers and caseworkers CPS 523
Legal Direct Communication with Victims and Witnesses 3 Lawyers and Victim Information Bureau staff CPS and Focus Consultancy trainers 983
Regional
Management Disciplinary Handling 2 All Managers CPS 86
Management Managing Attendance 1 All Managers CPS 114
Management Introductory Management — New Managers CPS 72
Management Managing Performance Indicators — Managers CPS 103
Management Handling Complaints of Discrimination 1 Managers CPS 40
Management Manager as Developer — Managers CPS 24
Management Case Management Plans — Managers CPS 18
Management Performance Appraisal Reporting 3 All Managers CPS 98