Criminal Justice Backlog CPS Effectiveness 2022-12-07
2022-12-07
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question arises from ongoing concerns about the backlog of cases in the criminal justice system and the effectiveness of measures taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to address this issue.
What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service in reducing the backlog of cases in the criminal justice system?
I recently met frontline prosecutors in Bristol, Devon and London to see at first hand the work being undertaken to tackle the backlog. The CPS has created a national surge team that could be deployed to any region in England and Wales to relieve casework pressures.
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Assessment & feedback
The effectiveness of the measures is not directly addressed, only their existence is mentioned.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question is prompted by concerns about the increasing backlog of cases in the criminal justice system, particularly regarding fraud cases. The previous week saw a solicitor jailed for 12 years due to a private prosecution after the CPS took no action.
I welcome the new Attorney General to her position. However, the backlog is still going up. Last week a solicitor was jailed for 12 years for a £10 million fraud after a private prosecution that was brought because the CPS had taken no action. Last year the prosecution rate for fraud was 0.5%, and over five years the average number of prosecutions initiated by the Serious Fraud Office has been four. Is the Attorney General's solution to the backlog not to prosecute cases at all, and is this not a pathetic record of inaction by a Government who have gone soft on crime?
I disagree with the hon. Gentleman's last two points. We all want to see the backlog reduced as quickly as possible, and the Ministry of Justice is leading the development of a cross-Government Crown court recovery plan. It is through technology, sentencing blitzes and pre-trial case resolution hearings that we can help to reduce the backlog.
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Assessment & feedback
The Attorney General did not address whether reducing the backlog involves avoiding prosecution for fraud cases.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The police in Cambridge have raised concerns about the time spent preparing cases for the CPS, suggesting that simple tweaks to data protection laws and information recorded on the Registry of Judgments, Orders and Fines could make a difference.
The police in Cambridge have raised with me the time they spend on preparing cases for the CPS, but it has also been suggested that simple tweaks to data protection laws and the information recorded on the Registry of Judgments, Orders and Fines could make a real difference. Has the Attorney General considered any of these simple steps?
I have had several meetings with both the CPS and the police. It is important for them to work together. When it comes to prosecutions for rape and serious sexual offences, early advice should be sought and cooperation seen between the police and the CPS. As for disclosure issues more widely, the Attorney General and I are looking at those very closely.
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Assessment & feedback
The question regarding data protection laws was not directly addressed, focusing instead on other areas of collaboration.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The Justice Committee has been discussing the pressures faced by the CPS in the context of broader justice system issues, with emphasis on staff support.
May I, both personally and on behalf of the Committee, warmly welcome the Attorney General to her place? Everyone who saw her sworn in will know how positive the reaction of Bar and Bench was to the appointment of someone who takes her responsibilities so seriously, and we look forward to working with her. When the Director of Public Prosecutions gave evidence to the Justice Committee last month, she stressed that the pressures on the CPS must be seen in the context of the justice system as a whole, and that the solution to those pressures required consistent support for the system, but in particular support for CPS staff—
That pleasure falls to me, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his kind words, as I know the Attorney General is. He is right to highlight the words of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and he will know that the Attorney General and I work closely with the director and listen carefully to what he says.
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Assessment & feedback
The question regarding support for CPS staff was not directly addressed; instead, it was acknowledged generally.
Response accuracy