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SOLICITOR-GENERAL
CPS
31. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent assessment he has made of the record of the Crown Prosecution Service in bringing persistent young offenders to trial in Merseyside. [103806]
The Solicitor-General: During my visit to CPS Merseyside in September last year, I was able to see at first hand the efforts made by the CPS and other local agencies to reduce the time it took to prosecute persistent young offenders. The average time taken from arrest to sentence is steadily decreasing, and the Area anticipates further significant reductions as a result of fast tracking arrangements that are being adopted throughout Merseyside.
33. Mr. Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the Commission for Racial Equality's investigation into the Crown Prosecution Service. [103808]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is in discussion with the CRE regarding the proposed investigation and hopes to find an agreed way forward. The CRE will reach a conclusion and notify the CPS before the end of January 2000.
34. Dr. George Turner: To ask the Solicitor-General what progress he has made in ensuring greater effectiveness in the application of information technology within the Crown Prosecution Service. [103809]
The Solicitor-General:
I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in developing effective IT in CPS.
13 Jan 2000 : Column: 219W
The Review of the CPS led by Sir Iain Glidewell reported in June 1998. It recommended the creation of a new post, Director of Business and Information Systems. That post has been filled and an Information Systems Strategic Plan developed. This plan provides a two-step approach to delivering effective IT support to lawyers and caseworkers, as well as that needed for effective administration and control.
In July 1999, the CPS was awarded £12 million from the Government's Capital Modernisation Fund. This money together with existing CPS resources will fund Step 1, the Connect 42 project. This will provide access for lawyers and caseworkers to networked PCs across the 42 CPS Areas. It will also enable secure electronic mail connections with its partners in the Criminal Justice System.
Step 2 of the Modernisation Programme, the Compass project, is procuring a Managed Service through a PFI contract. This will use the IT infrastructure of Step 1, and complement it with a case management system designed to meet the needs of front line CPS staff. It will provide the ability to work with electronic case files and allow information to be exchanged much more easily with other organisations in the criminal justice system through speedier electronic communications between computer systems.
Piloting of the Connect 42 project is planned for March 2000, with national rollout following over the subsequent 18 months.
The CPS plans to advertise its requirement for the Compass project in the Official Journal for the European Communities in second quarter of 2000.
35. Dr. Palmer:
To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the rights of audience exercised by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers in the higher courts. [103810]
The Solicitor-General:
In February 1997 limited rights of audience were granted to employed solicitors, allowing them to appear alone in appeals and uncontested cases in the Crown Court or to act as juniors in cases in which leading counsel are instructed. CPS higher court advocates began to exercise those rights in August 1998, since then the volume of work undertaken by them has gradually increased.
The impression that the Attorney-General and I have gained from our visits to various parts of the country is that the higher court advocates have been well received by judges and the Bar.
By mid-2000 nearly 200 CPS solicitor higher court advocates will have been trained. The CPS is now considering its future strategy for deploying its lawyers in the Crown Court in the light of the Access to Justice Act 1999, which grants full rights of audience to all lawyers.
32. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the recent performance of the Serious Fraud Office. [103807]
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The Solicitor-General:
In 1998-99, the Serious Fraud Office obtained 34 convictions from the 42 defendants tried. The SFO continues to be an effective deterrent against serious and complex fraud.
Mr. Wyatt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which members of the Football Task Force supported the majority report on commercial issues. [104444]
Kate Hoey:
The Football Task Force did not vote on any issue during its deliberations and all members of the Task Force signed up to the report in its published form. The particular views of individual members of the Task Force on particular parts of the report on commercial issues are therefore not known.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the British Ambassador's discussions with the Libyan authorities concerning the alleged discovery of parts for Scud missiles at a British airport. [104450]
Mr. Hain:
The British Ambassador in Tripoli called on the Libyan Foreign Ministry on 10 January to protest about the Libyans' attempt to import missile parts via the UK. The Libyans took note of our serious concerns.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what grounds the UN Sanctions Committee banned the import of bulls to Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [104421]
Mr. Hain:
An application to import 15 bulls to Iraq was made to the UN Sanctions Committee in late November. The Committee had no objection to the import of the bulls. However, the application also included the supply of a number of vaccines which were of potential dual use concern. Additional information on these vaccines has therefore been requested.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian Foreign Minister concerning the position of the 13 Jews in Iran detained without trial, during the Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to London; and if he will make a statement. [104515]
Mr. Hain:
My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary raised the cases of those detained on espionage charges, including 13 members of the Iranian Jewish community, with Foreign Minister Kharrazi during his visit from 10-12 January. Dr. Kharrazi assured them both that those detained would receive a fair trial including access to families and legal representation.
13 Jan 2000 : Column: 221W
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has further to pursue with Iran the case of the 13 Iranian Jews detained without trial. [104516]
Mr. Hain:
My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary raised the cases of those detained on espionage charges, including 13 members of the Iranian Jewish community, with the Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Kharrazi during his visit to London from 10-12 January. We and our EU partners will continue to raise this issue with the Iranian authorities at every possible opportunity.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1999, Official Report, column 318W, on overseas territories, what plans his Department has to introduce an Order in Council to ensure that the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands change their existing legislation on homosexual acts. [104706]
Mr. Battle:
The White Paper on the Overseas Territories (OTs) states that it is HMG's intention that OT legislation should comply with the international obligations to which the UK is subject. We pressed the OTs to announce before 31 December 1999 their intention to introduce legislation to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults in private. That date having passed, we will shortly be reviewing the situation.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Prime Minister when the Performance and Innovation Unit will publish reports on its studies into Accountability and Incentives for Joined-up Government and Analysis and Modelling in Central Government. [104852]
The Prime Minister:
The Performance and Innovation Unit reports of these studies entitled "Wiring it Up: Whitehall's Management of Cross-cutting Policies and Services" and "Adding it Up: Improving Analysis and Modelling in Central Government" have been published today.
The two reports are key elements of the Modernising Government agenda for better policies and better services. They set out a blueprint for joined-up policy making and service delivery supported by evidence-based analysis.
Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available from the Vote Office.
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