Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of (a) the current capacity available and (b) the additional resources required for the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute the new offences that will be established in the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill.

In March 2021, the CPS launched its first ever Economic Crime Strategy to ensure we keep pace with the changing nature of crime. It is a high-level strategy which allows the flexibility to respond and adapt to new and emerging threats.

The CPS currently has a dedicated Specialist Fraud Division with specialist prosecutors to ensure it has the right skills and resources to prosecute complex economic crime cases, ranging from the prosecution of bankers and investment scams, to the prosecution of those who seek to defraud the taxpayer of millions of pounds.

With effect from the 1 April 2022, a new Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate will be launched, merging the Specialist Fraud Division and the International Justice and Organised Crime Division. This new directorate will provide more resilience and will be responsible for prosecuting the new offences established in the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill.