§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Solicitor-General what estimate he has made of the legal costs of the case concerning Afghan hijackers at Stansted airport since 2000. [185616]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThere have been both criminal proceedings and asylum proceedings arising from the hijack at Stansted airport. In relation to the two criminal trials relating to this matter the costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of Counsel's fees was £428,811.85. This does not include certain costs incurred, such as interpreters fees, as well as fixed costs of the CPS, such as staff. The cost to the Criminal Defence Service of these trials as at 21 July 2004 was £4.32 million.
In relation to the asylum applications following the Stansted hijack, litigation services in relation to such claims are provided to the Home Secretary by the Treasury Solicitors Department. Their costs in relation to claims arising from the hijack are £106,109.41 as at 31 August 2004.
The Legal Services Commission is unable to give a figure for the legal aid costs relating to these asylum claims. This is for two reasons. First, some of the legal aid paid in respect of these claims was covered by the controlled work contract where funding decisions are delegated to suppliers. Under those arrangements the Legal Services Commission does not maintain details about the legal aid funding of specific cases. Secondly, in respect of the legal aid funding not covered by the controlled work contracts, while in principle the Legal Services Commission will be in a position to state the legal aid costs, they are not in a position to provide final figures at this stage as they are still waiting for the individual solicitors to submit bills to them. Services Commission will be in a position to state the legal aid costs, they are not in a position to provide final figures at this stage as they are still waiting for the individual solicitors to submit bills to them.