Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 132398 on Attorney General: Social Clubs, what recognised staff groups there have been in her Department in the last three years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
There have been no recognised staff groups in the Attorney General’s Office in the last three years. |
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will provide a list of (a) professional staff networks and (b) social clubs operating within his Department; and if he will provide the (i) budgets and (ii) FTE staff time allocated to each group within each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Attorney Gerneral’s Office does not have any professional staff networks or social clubs operating within the department.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of how (a) material evidence brought forward by the prosecution and (b) unused material that fails to be disclosed to the defence is processed by the (i) police and (ii) Crown Prosecution Service.
Answered by Geoffrey Cox
There has been unprecedented joint commitment and focus from the police and the CPS to finding solutions to the problem of getting the provision of material evidence and disclosure right. Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Inspectorate (HMCPSI) recently published a report on disclosure in the Crown Court, which shows that CPS and the police have made improvements in almost all areas. However, as the report notes, these improvements are from a low baseline and it is therefore crucial that lasting improvements continue to be made. I am working to update my Guidelines on Disclosure in order to provide clear guidance to all practitioners, and embed the recommendations I made in my 2018 Review.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will provide additional staff training resources for criminal cases involving large volumes of electronic evidence.
Answered by Geoffrey Cox
The government is committed to investing in tools and training that can help to mitigate the challenges posed by large volumes of electronic evidence. The CPS provides extensive disclosure training for all prosecutors to ensure they are properly equipped to handle these challenges. The College of Policing figures, published last August, show that over 100,000 police officers and staff across England and Wales have completed all modules of disclosure training, and further advanced training packages are being developed by the CPS.