HC Deb 10 December 2003 vol 415 cc495-6W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals to the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau Miscarriage of Justice Project have been made by the Criminal Cases Review Commission; and what the working policies and practices of the Commission are for a referral to the project. [141807]

Paul Goggins

The Commission does not refer cases to the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau. However when sending an applicant the statement of reasons, which accompanies the Commission's decision to refer his or her case to the Court of Appeal, a copy of the Royal Courts of Justice Miscarriages of Justice Project leaflet is enclosed. The provision of the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau's service is also referred to in the letter, which accompanies the statement of reasons. It is then up to the individual to decide whether he or she wishes to utilise the service.

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for permission to judicially review a decision not to refer have been made against the Criminal Cases Review Commission; and of those how many(a) were refused leave by a single judge on the papers, (b) refused leave by the court at oral hearings and (c) were granted leave by either the single judge or the court. [141808]

Paul Goggins

A total of 67 applications for judicial review have been made. Of these 26 applications for permission for a judicial review have been refused by the Single Judge on the papers. These applications were not renewed. Twenty-four applications have been refused at oral hearing.

Seven applications have been granted permission, of which one was remitted to the Commission for a further review and two await a decision.

Six cases were concluded by the consent of the parties and four applications for permission are currently waiting for a decision by the Single Judge or on oral renewal to the full court.

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many re-applications for review of alleged wrongful conviction upon indictment have been received by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each of the last six years; how many of those have been reinvestigated and completed; and of those how many have(a) resulted in a decision not to refer and (b) been referred. [141817]

Paul Goggins

Data are available only for the last three complete years and there have been 25, 52 and 79 re-applications in each of these years. There have been 102 re-applications in the financial year to 30 November 2003.

One hundred and eighty-four of these re-applications have been completed; 176 of these upheld the original decision and eight re-applications have been referred to the appropriate court of appeal.

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for review of alleged wrongful convictions in Northern Ireland have been received by the Criminal Cases Review Commission; and of those how many(a) were ruled ineligible, (b) were reviewed and a decision not to refer made and (c) were reviewed and referred. [141820]

Paul Goggins

The Commission has received a total of 93 applications from Northern Ireland, of which 15 are still open, 14 were closed as ineligible, 52 were closed with a decision not to refer and 12 were referred.