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Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Solicitor-General (1) if he will make it his policy to require the Crown Prosecution Service to include in its annual report statistics relating to the number of cases processed, categorised by specific offence, in respect of cases where (a) proceedings are stopped, (b) proceedings continue with the original charges and (c) proceedings continue with amended charges; [157817]
- (2) if he will make it his policy to require the Crown Prosecution Service to include in its annual report statistics relating to the time scales in respect of (a) cases in which a decision is taken to stop proceedings and (b) cases which proceed to a conclusion. [157818]
The Solicitor-General: Some of the information sought by my hon. Friend is already available in supplementary volumes of the annual Home Office publication Criminal Statistics England and Wales, which includes a breakdown of case outcomes by offence type.
In the past, the Crown Prosecution Service has held no records in respect of particular offences, and has been able to publish only aggregate figures on case outcomes. This was because the Service lacked the technical infrastructure required to hold and analyse the vast
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quantity of data that such records would involve, and because the administrative burden of maintaining manual records was prohibitive. However, there are now two important initiatives within the CPS which promise more detailed and informative case outcomes records for the future.
Firstly, the CPS is conducting a detailed review to ascertain exactly what information on case outcomes is required to manage properly the prosecution process and to account to parliament and to the public for the standard of its work. This review will consider, and make recommendations on, their requirement for detail on the outcome of particular offences and offence types.
Secondly, the Service has a new electronic case management under development, named Compass. This will provide the CPS with the modern technology it needs both to support its core business of reviewing and prosecuting criminal cases, and to make available the management information identified by the review mentioned above.
Of course, no information system can ever be comprehensive. Even with the most sophisticated computer support, a balance must be struck between the data we would like, and the costs of collecting and recording those data.
Wider developments in information management throughout the criminal justice system must also be taken into account. The various criminal justice agencies are working together to develop common systems of data collecting using agreed definitions, with the aim of providing a fully consistent picture of criminal proceedings from the commencement of the case to its conclusion. This project should specify criminal justice information needs for the foreseeable future, and manage the transition to fully automated data collection.
Departmental Policies (Ribble Valley)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Ribble Valley constituency, the effects on Ribble Valley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157849]
The Solicitor-General: The Ribble Valley constituency falls largely within the geographical area covered by the Crown Prosecution Service office at Burnley. A Trials Unit has very recently been established there to deal with Crown court casework arising in north-east Lancashire. This will enable greater emphasis to be placed on the conduct of more serious cases and is part of an ongoing reorganisation within CPS Lancashire, in line with recommendations of the Glidewell Review.
At Preston police station, a Criminal Justice Unit, staffed jointly by the police and CPS is being piloted. Criminal Justice Units enable the police and prosecutors to work together more effectively.
At the beginning of November 1999, in line with national policy, and in liaison with police and Lancashire Magistrates Courts Service, the Crown Prosecution Service implemented the Narey recommendations throughout Lancashire, following a pilot in north-east Lancashire. All
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defendants charged with a criminal offence now make their first appearance before magistrates courts in the area within 48 hours.
The Crown Prosecution Service, together with other agencies, has also helped to draw up an action plan and associated procedures to speed up youth justice, particularly in relation to persistent young offenders. The latest published figures show that Lancashire was one of four areas in the country which achieved the Government's target of 71 days or less between arrest and sentence during the year 2000 as a whole.
Both the Narey changes and the steps on persistent young offenders demonstrate that the Government have successfully speeded up the criminal justice system.
Actions and policies of the Treasury Solicitor's Department and the Serious Fraud Office do not directly affect the Ribble Valley constituency.
Departmental Policies (Tiverton and Honiton)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Tiverton and Honiton constituency, the effects on Tiverton and Honiton of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157805]
The Solicitor-General: The Tiverton and Honiton constituency falls within the geographical area covered by the Devon and Cornwall area of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In November 1999, in line with national policy, CPS Devon and Cornwall, in liaison with the police and the central Devon magistrates court, introduced procedures based on the Narey proposals. All adult defendants charged with a criminal offence in central Devon should make their first appearance before Exeter, Tiverton or Honiton magistrates courts within eight days. Due to the imminent court rationalisation, Tiverton court is due for closure.
A CPS Crown court unit, based in Exeter, deals with serious crime at Exeter Crown court and Barnstaple Crown court. The CPS has set as a goal the better handling of serious cases in the interests of justice and of victims. From 15 January 2001, a fast-track procedure was adopted which will ensure that offences which must be heard in the Crown court normally come before a judge within eight clear days of their first hearing in the magistrates court.
The CPS, together with other agencies, has been working to speed up youth justice, particularly cases involving persistent young offenders. The time taken for Persistent Youth cases has fallen in the CPS Devon and Cornwall area from 141 days in 1997 to 60 days in 2000. This places Devon and Cornwall at the top of the national league.
All these changes illustrate the Government's successful policy of speeding up the criminal justice system.
On 30 November 2000, the Exeter office of CPS Devon and Cornwall altered its structure so as to fall in line with proposals in the Glidewell Review. This represents a policy of more effective working between the police and prosecutors and will enable the CPS to place greater emphasis on the more serious criminal cases.
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Actions and policies of the Treasury Solicitor's Department and the Serious Fraud Office do not directly affect the Tiverton and Honiton constituency.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Departmental Policies (Clwyd, South)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Clwyd, South constituency, the effects on Clwyd, South of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [151909]
Ms Quin: As most of the Department's policies flow from measures agreed within the framework of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, statistical data are normally available on a UK or Wales basis, but no disaggregated further. However farmers in the UK have benefited from this Government's policies to the tune of £1.35 billion since 2 May 1997 in addition to the figure of approximately £3 billion per year in direct CAP payments.
Within this total, the value of agrimonetary compensation amounts to some £4,800 per average arable farmer, £3,200 per average dairy farmer, £1,400 per average sheep farmer, and £1,140 and £3,800 per average farmer for agrimonetary compensation related to the Beef Special Premium Scheme and Suckler Cow Premium Scheme respectively. Hill farmers in Wales will also benefit from the funding which Government are putting into Tir Myndd, the new support scheme for farmers in less favoured areas.
Farmers in the Clwyd, South constituency will also have available to them all of the schemes available under the Rural Development Programme for Wales, which is backed by funding of around £0.5 billion over the period 2000-06.
Departmental Policies (Stroud)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effects on the Stroud constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [152398]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 March 2001]: MAFF does not hold statistical information on a constituency basis relating to the Department's policies. Information on land use, crop areas, livestock numbers, and labour on holdings in England by Parliamentary constituency has been produced from 1 June 1999 Annual Agricultural and Horticultural Census. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. Information from the 1 June 2000 census will be available shortly and also placed in the House Library.
As many of the Department's policies flow from measures agreed within the framework of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, statistical data are normally available on a UK or England basis. Farmers in the UK
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receive approximately £3 billion per year in direct CAP payments. This does not include the significant additional costs to consumers as a result of CAP price supports
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which keep EU prices above prevailing world prices. The value of direct CAP payments to the average farmer is set out in the table.
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| Crop subsidies | Livestock subsidies | Agri- environment | Other(2) | Total direct subsidies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cereals | 34.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 37.8 |
| General cropping | 28.8 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 31.8 |
| Horticulture | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Pigs and poultry | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| Dairy | 2.8 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.5 |
| LFA cattle and sheep | 0.4 | 25.4 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 29.3 |
| Lowland cattle and sheep | 1.7 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 14.1 |
| Mixed | 21.4 | 10.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 33.8 |
| All types | 14.8 | 6.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 22.5 |
(2) Includes capital grants and any other miscellaneous grants. These reflect a combination of nationally funded and partly match funded schemes.
Notes:
1. HLCA payments to hill farmers are included under livestock subsidies.
2. The figures show direct subsidy payments; they do not include allowance for the financial benefit of prices supported above world market levels under CAP.
Source:
Farm Business Survey
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In addition to CAP direct payments, farmers in the UK are benefiting from £1.35 billion in short term financial relief since 2 May 1997.
This includes £785 million in agrimonetary compensation worth some £4,800 per average arable farmer, £3,200 per average dairy farmer, £1,400 per average sheep farmer, and £1,140 and £3,800 per average farmer for agrimonetary compensation related to the Beef Special Premium Scheme and Suckler Cow Premium Scheme respectively.
Since May 1997 the Government have more than doubled expenditure on agri-environment schemes in England. We now have more than twice as much land covered by Countryside Stewardship agreements and we have increased the funding of organic conversion from £571,000 in 1997-98 to £12 million in 2000-01 and £18 million in 2001-02. Full time hill farmers in England will be in receipt of some £6,360 on average following the introduction of the Hill Farm Allowance Scheme this year. This compares with £4,048 under the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance in 1996-97.
Farmers in Stroud can benefit from schemes available under the England Rural Development Programme, which is backed by funding of £1.6 billion over the period 2000-06. Three of the schemes within this programme--Rural Enterprise, Processing and Marketing, and Vocational Training--have a budget of around £190 million and are being operated on a regional basis; each region has its own allocation. These allocations are set out in the England Rural Development Programme.
Consumers in Stroud will benefit from the Agenda 2000 reforms of the CAP in the form of reduced food bills, with the average saving for a typical family rising to £65 a year by 2010.
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