Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) the CPS employs and (b) who were employed by the CPS in May 2010.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service employed 5,946 staff at 31 December 2018 and 8,569 staff at 30 June 2010. CPS HR management information in relation to staff in post is only available from June 2010.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 10 of September 2018 to Question 199279, which motoring offences remain the responsibility of the CPS.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service maintains a list of motoring offences available for prosecution. This is set out as Annex 1.
Offences that are specified by The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) Order 1999 have been highlighted within Annex 1. They are commenced by the police in accordance with Section 12 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980. The DPP has a duty, in accordance with section 3(2)(a) Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, to take over the conduct of proceedings including proceedings for offences that are no longer specified. An offence ceases to be specified if the accused does not plead guilty.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194050 on Crown Prosecution Service: Staff, how many minor motoring cases were transferred to the police in the same period.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (the 1985 Act) provides that the DPP had a duty to take over the conduct of all criminal proceedings, save for specified proceedings.
Specified proceedings are designated by Section 3(3) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) Order 1999 (the 1999 order) and include most motoring offences which are commenced by the police in accordance with Section 12 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980.
In 2012, the following motoring offences were added to the list of specified proceedings:
No | Section | Statute | Offence |
1. | s.3 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Careless and inconsiderate driving |
2. | s.35 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to comply with a traffic direction |
3. | s.163 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to stop a motor vehicle or bicycle when required to do so by the police |
4. | s.170 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to stop, report an accident or give information or documents when required to do so |
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds no record of the number of these motoring cases that were prosecuted by the police.
The CPS does however maintain a central record of the volumes of completed prosecutions, assigned the Principal Offence Category ‘Motoring Offences’, as a count of the number of defendants.
The table below shows that the number of these prosecutions has fallen between 2008 and 2018 as a likely result of the additional motoring offences having been added to the list of specified proceedings.
| Year Ending September 2008 | Year Ending September 2018 | Volume change | % Change |
CPS Motoring Offences Prosecution Caseload | 379,837 | 99,331 | -280,506 | -73.8% |
Data Source: Case Management Information System |
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194050 on Crown Prosecution Service: Staff, what other types of case were transferred to the police in the same period.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (the 1985 Act) provides that the DPP had a duty to take over the conduct of all criminal proceedings, save for specified proceedings.
Specified proceedings are designated by Section 3(3) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) Order 1999 (the 1999 order) and include most motoring offences which are commenced by the police in accordance with Section 12 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 by serving with the summons either a statement of facts about the offence or a copy of the written statements.
The 1999 order also provides that proceedings cease to be specified when a court begins to receive evidence. At that stage the duty for a prosecutor to conduct the proceedings engages.
Annex 1 provides the full list of offences falling within The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (specified proceedings) Order 1999) and including all amendments to date.
During the 2008 – 2018 period the following offences were added to the list of specified proceedings as follows:
Offences added in 2012:
No | Section | Statute | Offence |
1. | s.3 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Careless and inconsiderate driving |
2. | s.35 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to comply with a traffic direction |
3. | s.163 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to stop a motor vehicle or bicycle when required to do so by the police |
4. | s.170 | Road Traffic Act 1988 | Failing to stop, report an accident or give information or documents when required to do so |
5. | s.1(1) | Criminal Damage Act 1971 | Criminal damage where the value of the property involved is no more than £5,000 (not including arson) |
6. | s.12 | Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 | Consumption of alcohol in a designated public place |
7. | s.91 | Criminal Justice Act 1967 | Disorderly behaviour while drunk in a public place |
8. | s.12 | Licensing Act 1872 | Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises |
9. | s.63B(8) | Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 | Failing to give a sample for the purposes of testing for the presence of Class A drugs |
10. | s.12(3) and 14(3) | Drugs Act 2005 | Failing to attend an assessment following testing for the presence of Class A drugs |
11. | s.55 and 56 | British Transport Commission Act 1949 | Trespassing or throwing stones on the railway |
12. | s.49 | Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 | Knowingly giving a false alarm of fire |
13. | s.5 | Public Order Act 1986 | Behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress |
14. | s.11 | Fireworks Act 2003 | Contravention of a prohibition or failure to comply with a requirement imposed by or under fireworks regulations or making false statements |
15. | s.80 | Explosives Act 1875 | Throwing fireworks in a thoroughfare |
16. | s.87(1) | Environmental Protection Act 1990 | Depositing and leaving litter |
Offences added in 2014:
No | Section | Statute | Offence |
1. | s.1 | Theft Act 1968 (but only if the offence constitutes low-value shoplifting within the meaning of section 22A(3) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980) | Theft (Shoplifting where the value of the stolen goods is worth £200 or less) |
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 175908, during the same period what the change has been in the overall case load for the Crown Prosecution Service.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the volumes of completed prosecutions, or caseload, as a count of the number of defendants. The table below shows the number of prosecutions for both the 12 months ending September 2008 and September 2018 and the change in both volume and percent.
| Year Ending September 2008 | Year Ending September 2018 | Volume Change | Change % |
CPS Prosecution Caseload | 1,051,047 | 511,090 | -539,957 | -51.4% |
(Data Source: Case Management Information System)
The types of cases prosecuted by the CPS have changed significantly in the period between 2008 and 2018. Prosecutions for more serious and complex cases have risen, including a 5% increase in homicide, a 17% increase in fraud and forgery and a 28% increase in sexual offences cases. During the same period, minor motoring cases have fallen by 74% as responsibility for prosecuting some of these cases has transferred to the police.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 175908, how many staff the Crown Prosecution Service employed (a) in each region and (b) at CPS Direct as at (i) 30 September 2018 and (ii) 30 September 2008.
Answered by Robert Buckland
As of 30 September 2018, the CPS employed a total of 5,936 staff across its Area/Regional and HQ functions. A breakdown is provided in the following table:
Department | Headcount Total |
CPS Headquarters | 502 |
Central Casework Divisions | 706 |
CPS Direct | 181 |
Cymru Wales | 275 |
East Midlands | 318 |
East of England | 258 |
London North | 456 |
London South | 476 |
Mersey Cheshire | 235 |
North East | 259 |
North West | 464 |
South East | 251 |
South West | 219 |
Thames & Chiltern | 271 |
Wessex | 217 |
West Midlands | 422 |
Yorkshire & Humberside | 426 |
Grand Total | 5936 |
As of 30 September 2008, the CPS employed a total of 8,768 staff across its Area/Regional and HQ functions. A breakdown is provided in the following table:
Department | Headcount Total |
CPS Headquarters | 587 |
Central Casework | 233 |
CPS Direct | 158 |
East Midlands | 596 |
Eastern | 432 |
Greater Manchester | 498 |
Lancashire & Cumbria | 331 |
London | 1367 |
Merseyside & Cheshire | 385 |
North & West Yorkshire | 415 |
North East | 462 |
South East | 444 |
South West | 370 |
South Yorkshire & Humberside | 311 |
Thames & Chiltern | 422 |
Cymru Wales | 480 |
Wessex | 392 |
West Midlands | 885 |
Grand Total | 8,768 |
(Data Source Trent HR Database as at 22/11/2018)
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many CPS offices have been closed since 2010.
Answered by Robert Buckland
Between January 2010 and September 2018 the CPS has closed 66 offices. During the same period the CPS has opened 13 new offices.
The CPS Estates Strategy has to be, and is, in line with the Government’s strategy, namely to achieve best value from buildings on the civil estate. In accordance with the Government’s strategy, departments are required to vacate current office space when there is a lease break or expiry, and relocate staff to alternative buildings on the civil estate.
In September 2018 the CPS completed work to relocate its London offices to an existing shared government building in Westminster. Since 2010 the CPS has reduced cost of its estate by approximately 30% resulting in annual running cost savings of £20m.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many staff the CPS (a) employs and (b) employed 10 years ago.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service employed 5,936 staff at 30 September 2018 and 8,768 staff at 30 September 2008.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by the Law Officers' Departments are non-UK nationals.
Answered by Robert Buckland
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. There are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.