Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what progress he has made on improving disclosure in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Attorney General’s review of the disclosure system, published last month, sets out practical recommendations and a clear plan of action which will hold the leaders of the criminal justice system to account for delivering in their respective areas.
The Attorney General’s Office is working closely with key agencies who are already delivering changes and improvements to both the system and culture in their respective organisations.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on the prosecution of knife crime in different parts of the UK.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Director of Public Prosecutions regularly meets with her counterpart in Northern Ireland to discuss common issues. The Attorney General will be travelling to Northern Ireland during October to meet with the Northern Ireland Attorney General.
The Government has a published the Serious Violence Strategy to take action to address serious violence including the recent increases in knife crime. The CPS is working with its cross-Government partners to deliver the Strategy, and also supports the police enforcement to tackle knife crime through its Operation Sceptre.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking with regional police forces to help secure convictions.
Answered by Robert Buckland
In England and Wales the CPS decides which cases should be prosecuted, and then prepares and presents them at court. Decisions are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors which requires both an evidential and public interest test to be met before a prosecution can proceed.
The CPS will advise the police and other investigators about possible lines of inquiry and evidential requirements, and assist with pre-charge procedures. The CPS and police hold joint Prosecution Team Performance Meetings where performance, including conviction rates, are discussed and monitored. Local plans are put in place, where appropriate, to improve the outcomes of cases that are charged and prosecuted.
In large-scale investigations, the prosecutor may be asked to advise on the overall investigation strategy, to assist the police and other investigators to enable them to complete the investigation within a reasonable period of time and to build the most effective prosecution case. However, prosecutors cannot direct the police or other investigators.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how he plans to encourage practising lawyers to volunteer pro bono hours for Citizens Advice Bureaux in their local communities.
Answered by Robert Buckland
As the Government's pro bono champions, the Attorney and I chair the pro bono panel and committee to bring together key players to steer and coordinate the overall work in this area. The panel and committee feature members from across the legal community, including Citizens Advice.
Each year the Attorney and I take part in National Pro Bono week. We attend and support pro bono events across the country, to encourage the excellent work being done by the pro bono community. This year Global Pro Bono Week is taking place 29th October – 2nd November, and will involve many organisations across the legal community including members of our pro bono panel and committee like Citizens Advice.
In the past year over 1,000 lawyers provided pro bono help through local Citizens Advice offices and I will continue to encourage more lawyers to do this.