§ Harry CohenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the collection of fines by the Court Service; [62600]
(2) what the level of arrears of fines was, and what percentage of fines had not been collected within the due time (a) in the last 12 months and (b) in the 12 month period before the change in the collection system; and if he will make a statement. [62601]
§ Yvette CooperFines are imposed by both Magistrates' Courts and the Crown Court. The Crown Court is part of the Court Service, which is an executive agency of the Lord Chancellor's Department. The Court Service does not collect fines. Fines are collected by Magistrates' Courts and their staff, which constitute an independent local service with statutory powers for the enforcement and collection of financial penalties.
The Government are committed to improving the enforcement of financial penalties. Variations in performance across the country are too wide. We have transferred lead responsibility for warrant execution from the police to Magistrates' Courts Committees, on 1 April 2001.
We have established an information sharing scheme, which enables Magistrates' Courts to obtain basic information on defaulters from the Department for Work and Pensions. We have set performance targets for 2002–03 and Magistrates' Courts Committees have also been given nearly£10 million extra from April 2002, ring-fenced for enforcement purposes. We will monitor the position carefully to check that performance improves.
Magistrates' Courts Committees have responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed through the courts, including not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not possible to separate out just the fines from the total.
Arrears is described as the total of missed lump sums or missed instalments on impositions where deferred payment was allowed. The latest available figures for the level of arrears of all debt are:
1227W(c)£246 million as at 31 March 2002;
(d)£226 million as at 31 March 2001.
Data are only collected on the financial value of the debt, not the number of fines. Fines are normally payable from the moment of imposition unless time to pay is Year granted.
Since the transfer, the write-off rate has reduced from 19 per cent of total debt imposed in 2000–01 to 15 percent. of total debt imposed in 2001–02, which was equivalent to£19.5 million.