§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in seeking views on(a) controversial expert evidence and (b) investigative methods; [159704]
(2) what procedure is used by the Criminal Cases Review Commission if it suspects that (a) a body of evidence and (b) an investigative method is flawed. [159705]
§ Paul GogginsThe commission treats every application received on its individual merits. Cases regularly raise issues involving expert evidence and 777W investigative methods. Where necessary the commission instructs a professionally qualified person to give a view on the expert evidence or the investigative method, and such further evidence is taken into account when a decision is made on the case. In some circumstances it may be appropriate for the Commission to ask for further evidence on a particular issue which is common to several cases.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted into the motives of solicitors who submit large numbers of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [159710]
§ Paul GogginsNo research has been conducted into the motives of solicitors who submit large number of applications to the Commission. Some firms of solicitors specialise in this area and so it is not unexpected that several applications every year will come from them. To date the Commission has not received a large number of applications at the same time from any individual solicitor or firm. It continues to receive applications unsupported by legal representation.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the findings of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's Working Group on Sexual Abuse were. [159711]
§ Paul GogginsThe "findings" of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's Working Group on Sexual Abuse enabled the Commission to analyse and refine it's approach to child sexual abuse cases generally, to help it establish best practice, to investigate developments that might discover new evidence in such cases and communicate any lessons obtained internally and to other stakeholders.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what process is used for recruiting members of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [159713]
§ Paul GogginsMembers of the Criminal Cases Review Commission are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister. New members are recruited in accordance with the Code of Practice for Public Appointments issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment. The process includes
open advertising of the postsan initial sift of applications by external recruitment consultantsshort-listing and interview by a panel comprising of the Director of Criminal Law and Policy of the Home Office, the Chairman of the Commission and an Independent Assessorconsultation with interested Ministers (including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) and the Cabinet Office's Public Appointment Unit.