HC Deb 05 March 2002 vol 381 cc194-5W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and in what proportion of cases in the last year where police have issued charges the DPP decided to discontinue prosecution. [39665]

The Solicitor-General

I have been asked to reply.

In the period between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2001 the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions received files in respect of 1,832 persons who had already been charged by police at the point of submission of the file. Current information indicates that no prosecution was directed of 200 such persons (10.92 per cent.).