§ Lord Bradshawasked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent Crown Prosecution Service work is delegated to agency staff, and what action is being taken to bring this work in-house. [HL5085]
§ Lord GoldsmithThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) employs temporary agency staff to cover short-term pressures in workloads and to cover vacant posts whilst recruitment campaigns are under way. For these reasons, there will be a continuing need for temporary staff though the CPS seeks to keep its use of agency staff to the minimum.
CPS staff numbers have increased significantly since March 2001. As permanent staff numbers have increased, the need for agency staff has reduced. The total expenditure on agency staff represented 1.23 per cent of total CPS staff costs in 2001–02 and was reduced to 1.04 per cent in 2002–03. The CPS is continuously undergoing recruitment drives in order to recruit permanent staff and as a result reduce agency costs.
In addition the CPS also employs lawyer agents to work as advocates for the CPS in the magistrates' courts. In 2001–02, lawyer agents covered 124,000 sessions in the magistrates' courts out of a total of 414,000 (30 percent) and in 2002–03, 120,000 sessions out of a total of 412,000 (29 per cent). The cost of employing lawyer agents to act as advocates for the CPS has reduced from £9.9 million in financial year 2001–02 to £9.6 million in 2002–03. Lawyer agents represented 4.03 per cent of total CPS staff costs in 2002-03. These figures do not include the use of counsel in the Crown Court.
The CPS is increasing the number of its own higher court advocates and designated caseworkers and providing opportunities for development of its own staff through new training programmes including the Law Scholarship Scheme.