Committee publication · Correspondence · 10 December 2024
Letter from Andy Slaughter MP, Chair of the Committee to Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, dated 10 December 2024 relating to the Evidence session on 3 December 2024
From: Justice Committee
Summary
Chair Andy Slaughter writes to DPP Stephen Parkinson following a 3 December evidence session, submitting written follow-up questions on custody time limits, police-CPS case building, disclosure, economic crime, and defence bar concerns about legal aid fee structures and case management protocols.
Key findings
- Committee seeks data on custody time limit failures year-to-date and historical comparison; questions why CPS does not publish CTL data
- January 2024 inspectorate findings identified inadequate IT, inexperienced personnel, and cultural differences damaging police-CPS case building; committee notes 'pervading lack of understanding' of each other's roles and minimal personal contact between officers and prosecutors
- Committee raises disclosure workload concerns citing January 2020 HMCPSI report that under-resourced CPS staff struggle with case volumes; requests progress update on National Disclosure Improvement Plan
- CPS Economic Crime Strategy reports 'public concern about declining number of criminal justice outcomes for victims of economic crime'; committee seeks clarification and comparison with SFO approach
- Defence barristers dispute DPP's suggestion that legal aid fees incentivise case prolongation, citing 2013 fee structure changes; argue Better Case Management protocol timing does not constitute improper delay
Tone
ProceduralTopics
criminal-justiceprosecutionlegal-aiddisclosureeconomic-crime
Key actors
Andy Slaughter MP, Stephen Parkinson, Lady Chief Justice, Criminal Justice Joint Inspection, HMCPSI, Serious Fraud Office, Defence barristers
Notable line
“"there is little personal contact in most cases between police officer and prosecutor, either by phone, face-to-face or virtually".”
Key Quotes
“… there is little personal contact in most cases between police officer and prosecutor, either by phone, face-to-face or virtually”
“… pervading lack of understanding of each other's roles”
“"case preparation, and thus the handling of disclosure, is also often undermined by under- resourced CPS staff who are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of work".”
“… public concern about the declining number of criminal justice outcomes for victims of economic crime”
“… there is no longer an incentive to do this following the removal by the Criminal Legal Aid Remuneration Regulations 2013 of the scale of increasing fees closer to trial”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗