§ 24. Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Solicitor-General when she next expects to meet representatives of the small firm sector to examine ways of combating fraud perpetrated against businesses. [89230]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI have not met with representatives of small firms of organisations to discuss ways of combating fraud perpetrated against businesses. However, I meet regularly with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office to examine methods on combating, investigating and prosecuting fraud.
The Serious Fraud Office investigates and prosecutes cases involving serious and complex fraud and is aware that small businesses are at risk from fraud, whether internal or external, in the same way as larger companies.
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§ 27. Mr. KidneyTo ask the Solicitor-General what expertise has been developed in the Crown Prosecution Service for dealing with fraud cases. [89233]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe Crown Prosecution Service deals with fraud cases of all types, from simple "high street" frauds to major corporate frauds. The most complex cases do require highly specialised knowledge, for instance knowledge of Stock Exchange practices. The Casework Directorate of CPS Headquarters has a number of specialist lawyers, working with dedicated accountancy support, to deal with those cases.
Elsewhere in the CPS special casework lawyers deal with large fraud cases, particularly in the larger urban areas where these tend to arise. The capacity of the CPS to devote more senior lawyer resources to complex cases, including fraud, has increased following its restructuring in 1999 and a significant increase in resources in recent years. In response to the recent inspection of the Casework Directorate by HMCPS Inspectorate, the CPS will shortly be considering how best it can deploy its resources to deal with fraud cases in the future.