Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) total headcount and (b) annual budget was for the Serious Fraud Office’s Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance Division in each of the years from 2021-22 up to 2025-26.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
The information requested is detailed in the following table:
Financial year | Budgeted headcount (FTE*) | Annual budget (£m) |
2021-22 | 47 | £3.0 |
2022-23 | 47 | £3.2 |
2023-24 | 47 | £3.2 |
2024-25 | 47 | £3.1 |
2025-26 | 52 | £4.3 |
* Full Time Equivalent
The Division’s staffing and budget (which covers staffing and wider operational costs) was increased in 2025-26 to strengthen its ability to recover criminal assets, including the creation of a new asset confiscation enforcement team.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what was the (a) annual budget and (b) total headcount at the Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate at the Crown Prosecution Service for each of the years from 2022-23 up to 2025-26.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
The annual budget and total headcount for the Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID) for each of the years 2022-23 up to 2025-26 are as follows:
SEOCID Total | Budget £ | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
42,532,009 | 48,967,369 | 48,905,921 | 49,635,362 |
SEOCID Total | Headcount | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
394 | 405 | 397 | 374 |
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) annual budget and (b) number of staff was for the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Proceeds of Crime unit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
The annual budget and number of staff for the Crown Prosecution Service Proceeds of Crime Division in each of the last five years are as follows:
Financial Year (FY) ending | Annual Budget | Headcount |
|
FY22 | *Not available | 205 |
|
FY23 | £15,475,337 | 200 |
|
FY24 | £17,276,740 | 229 |
|
FY25 | £20,293,788 | 249 |
|
FY26 | £23,090,634 | 261 |
|
*Historical figures from the CPS financial planning system Anaplan do not date back to FY22
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) annual budget and (b) number of staff was for the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Fraud Division in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cannot provide the annual budget and number of staff for the Specialist Fraud Division (SFD) in each of the last five years. Some organisational restructuring to meet the challenges posed by the evolving nature of crime was required at the end of 22/23, leading to SFD becoming subsumed by the multidisciplinary Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID).
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what progress she has made on plans to create a whistleblowing incentive program within the Serious Fraud Office.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to cracking down on serious fraud and economic crime.
The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has expressed support for the incentivisation of whistleblowers and the SFO Strategy 2024-29 committed to explore options for achieving this, working with partners in the UK and abroad.
The Government will continue to work with the SFO to understand what reforms could be made to help them deliver their mission as effectively as possible.