§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many quashed convictions arose from the work of(a) the Criminal Cases Review Commission between 1997 and 2003 and (b) the comparable Home Office unit in the period between 1991 and 1997; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for differences between the two figures. [159663]
§ Paul GogginsBy 31 March 2003, referrals from the Criminal Cases Review Commission had resulted in 77 convictions being quashed.
Between January 1991 and March 1997, 54 convictions that had been referred to the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary were quashed (this includes one case where only two of several counts were overturned).
The Criminal Appeal Act 1995 introduced changes that make a direct comparison impossible. The major difference was the introduction of a court appeal process for summary offences. As the Home Secretary could refer only convictions for indictable offences in England and Wales back to the Court of Appeal, C3 Division of Criminal Department's work also included considering the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy to free applicants from the consequences of wrongful conviction for summary offences. The Commission's 77 convictions quashed include six from Northern Ireland. The Commission has greater powers to obtain documents etc. than the Secretary of State had, and has more staff than were available in C3 Division.