Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Crown Prosecution Service: Apprenticeships

Thursday 4 February 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Crown Prosecution Service offers apprenticeships in various professions across England and Wales.
  • CPS has had 30 apprentices in CPS East Midlands since 2016, with two currently undertaking apprenticeships.
  • The Government rejects the characterization that the Crown Prosecution Service is failing, citing good performance confirmed by the inspectorate.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Robert Largan
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

The question arises from concerns about the distribution of apprenticeships across different regions, particularly outside London.

Question

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of apprenticeship opportunities with the Crown Prosecution Service. I am grateful for that answer. It is encouraging to hear that the Crown Prosecution Service is offering lots of apprenticeships. However, it is really important that those opportunities are based not just in London but across the whole country, so I ask the Minister: what apprenticeships are being offered in places such as the High Peak?

Answer from Michael Ellis

The CPS offers apprenticeships across legal, human resources, finance, project management, leadership and management professions. Apprenticeships are available across England and Wales including CPS East Midlands where High Peak is located with 30 apprentices since 2016 and currently two undertaking solicitor apprenticeship leading to Crown prosecutor role.

Answered
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Q2 Robert Largan
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from concerns about a backlog of cases, poor CPS letter standards, and staff cuts affecting the criminal justice system.

Question

There is a backlog of 55,000 cases in our Crown courts, victims are waiting years for their cases to be heard, and CPS letters fail to be of standard nearly 50% of the time. While we welcome apprenticeships in the CPS, staff levels were cut by 31% between 2011 and 2019, so why have the Government Law Officers failed to get to grips with the fundamental crisis facing the CPS and our criminal justice system?

Answer from Michael Ellis

The characterisation that the Crown Prosecution Service is failing is not accepted. The CPS performs well and the inspectorate confirms this performance. Apprenticeships are important for supporting young people and those from other socioeconomic backgrounds, with 3.8% of the workforce being apprentices compared to a national target of 2.3%. This shows the CPS's commitment to diversity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific crisis in criminal justice system not addressed

How: Does Not Accept Negative Characterisation, Supports Apprenticeships

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