Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many tip-offs were made to the Serious Fraud Office tip-off line in each year since 2010.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) launched its dedicated reporting channel on 1 November 2011. The service was intended to encourage reports of serious or complex fraud by whistleblowers and accepted referrals by post, email and telephone. The SFO decided to close the telephone element of the service on 12 June 2012 because a disproportionate amount of staff time was being spent dealing with telephone calls that did not contribute to this aim.
The total number of calls, emails and other referrals through the channel in each year since it was established is shown in the table below. These figures may include multiple reports from single individuals, or multiple referrals about the same matter received from different individuals. Referrals made through the dedicated reporting channel in November and December 2011 were not counted separately from other referrals to the SFO in those months.
Year | Total number of reports |
2012 | 2,731 |
2013 | 2,996 |
2014 | 3,001 |
2015 | 3,163 |
The SFO now offers guidance on its website as to how the public may best report any information it may have about fraud to the most appropriate law enforcement authority, including Action Fraud, which is the UK’s central reporting mechanism for fraud and cyber crime.
The SFO continues to receive and assess reports from the public sent directly to it via the online reporting tool, by email or post, or referred to it by other law enforcement and regulatory bodies.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the promotion of human rights of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the application and implementation of the European Arrest Warrant.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many cases referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 were successful.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The number of offenders referred to the Court of Appeal in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the table below.
Year | 2013 | 2014 |
Offenders referred to the Court of Appeal | 79 | 128 |
The number of offenders whose sentences were considered unduly lenient and whose sentences were increased by the Court of Appeal in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the table below.
Year | 2013 | 2014 |
Offenders whose sentences were unduly lenient | 63 | 109 |
Offenders whose sentence was increased | 61 | 105 |
Detailed information on the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme was published on the Attorney General’s Office website on Thursday 11 June 2015. The information can be accessed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/attorney-generals-office.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many cases were referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The number of offenders referred to the Court of Appeal in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the table below.
Year | 2013 | 2014 |
Offenders referred to the Court of Appeal | 79 | 128 |
The number of offenders whose sentences were considered unduly lenient and whose sentences were increased by the Court of Appeal in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the table below.
Year | 2013 | 2014 |
Offenders whose sentences were unduly lenient | 63 | 109 |
Offenders whose sentence was increased | 61 | 105 |
Detailed information on the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme was published on the Attorney General’s Office website on Thursday 11 June 2015. The information can be accessed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/attorney-generals-office.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of criminal cases the Crown Prosecution Service instructed the independent Bar to prosecute in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The CPS does not centrally record the number of instructions to advocates from the self-employed Bar. Were it to do so, such data would need to take account of changes to the instructed advocate during the course of proceedings; cases in which more than one advocate is instructed; and cases in which an in-house advocate may be instructed initially but where an advocate from the self-employed Bar was subsequently instructed.
The CPS retains payment data in respect of volume cases in the Crown Court managed under the graduated fee scheme (GFS). This shows the proportion of Crown Court work prosecuted by advocates from the self-employed Bar in value terms as a proportion of GFS value, for the years requested:
- 2010-11 72%
- 2011-12 69%
- 2012-13 70%
- 2013-14 71%
- 2014-15 75% (first 3 quarters only)
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many times the Law Officers met the Director of the Services Prosecution Authority in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Law Officers have met the Directors of the Service Prosecuting Authority regularly since 2010. However, as has been the case with successive administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.