Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what the average time taken is from referral to charging decision by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) management information shows that in the most recent 12 months ending March 2025 it took a mean average of 46 calendar days from the first time the CPS received a case, either a request for early advice or a referral for a charging decision, to the decision to charge and prosecute.
For the above metric the median average is two calendar days.
The above timeliness data includes cases where the police have submitted a file for early advice as well as those for charging decision. This data includes cases where the police were required to submit further evidence prior to a decision to charge. This generally includes more than one submission and further investigation.
The timeliness of a charging decision is determined by three key factors: whether the case has been sent to the CPS for early advice during the investigative process; how quickly the police can complete the necessary enquiries; and how quickly the CPS can then review the evidence provided by the police and finalise the charging decision.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has discontinued in the last three years; and for what reasons.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Management information held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) shows the number of defendants whose prosecution was dropped by the CPS and the primary reason allocated to the outcome at finalisation.
The table below shows the number and proportion of prosecutions dropped and the reason applied for the latest available three years ending March 2025.
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
Total Prosecutions | 402,052 | 419,401 | 449,573 |
Prosecutions Dropped | 45,674 | 46,794 | 49,553 |
Prosecutions Dropped % of Total Prosecutions | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.0% |
Victim or witness reasons | 13,334 | 13,023 | 14,160 |
Victim or witness reasons % of Total Prosecutions | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
Victim reasons | 10,426 | 10,479 | 11,351 |
Victim reasons % of Total Prosecutions | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
Witness reasons | 2,908 | 2,544 | 2,809 |
Witness reasons % of Total Prosecutions | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
Disclosure - undermining unused material | 1,637 | 2,185 | 2,067 |
Disclosure - undermining unused material % of Total Prosecutions | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Evidential | 18,572 | 19,251 | 19,622 |
Evidential % of Total Prosecutions | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.4% |
Public interest | 11,510 | 11,720 | 12,886 |
Public interest % of Total Prosecutions | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.9% |
Other | 621 | 615 | 818 |
Other % of Total Prosecutions | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |||
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources available to the Crown Prosecution Service to meet current case volumes.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
In June, the Chancellor announced a landmark increase of £96m (RDELex) in additional funding for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the spending review period.
Through the spending review process, the AGO worked with the CPS and HM Treasury to review and agree CPS resources through assessing current and anticipated future case volumes, including consideration of the number of sitting days and the growing complexity of cases. This included a zero-based review of the CPS’ budget for this financial year, which tested the value for money of their spending and ensured that they are driving efficiencies and delivering for the public.
The additional funding over the next three years will mean the CPS can recruit more Crown Advocates and frontline staff to prosecute cases and better support victims. Investment in digital technology, new digital casework tools, and exploration of artificial intelligence tools will enable a more productive CPS to respond to the growing volume of cases.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many additional prosecutors the Crown Prosecution Service has recruited in each of the last three years.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has recruited the following additional prosecutors in each of the last three years:
| CPS Prosecutor Full Time Equivalent (FTE) at year end | FTE Change on previous year / additional prosecutors recruited |
FY 22/23 | 3022.5 | + 82.4 |
FY 23/24 | 3075.1 | + 52.6 |
FY 24/25 | 3052.7 | - 22.4 |
| Total FTE Growth / additional Prosecutors | +112.6 |
The CPS forecasts significant growth in the number of additional prosecutors for the financial year 2025/26 following its positive Spending Review Phase 2 settlement – in which CPS received an uplift of £96 million.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of (a) hybrid and (b) remote working in the Law Officers' Departments on costs to those Departments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Confidentiality, secure communications and data protection
The Law Officers’ Departments (LODs) – the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), Government Legal Department (GLD), and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) – approach their responsibilities for data, confidentiality and security with the utmost seriousness. This is reflected in their hybrid working policies, annual mandatory data protection and security training, as well as the employment of appropriate technology, equipment and organisational systems which support remote working.
Productivity and efficiency
The LODs are also committed to delivering the most productive and value for money services.
They all operate hybrid working policies which are in line with central guidance set by Cabinet Office.
Productivity is predominantly assessed through line management chains and the departmental performance management system to assess individual performance and ensure expectations are being met. In addition, GLD staff are required to record time they spend on activities, and GLD seeks direct feedback from the government departments to which they provide legal services.
Ultimately one of the most effective ways to drive continuous productivity across the LODs is to ensure they can recruit and retain the workforce needed to deliver vital services required by the Government. A balanced approach to hybrid working is a key part of achieving this.
Costs
The LODs provide their employees with appropriate equipment to support effective, efficient and secure remote working.
As to specific costs for the CPS, GLD, and SFO, I refer the Hon Member to my responses to UINs 65703, 65704, and 65705 tabled on 8 July 2025.
HMCPSI’s spend to support remote working for the financial year 2024/25 was £370.43, equating to £18.52 per head.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what methods her Department uses to assess the productivity of staff in the Law Officers' Departments when working from home; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of remote working on levels of departmental efficiency.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Confidentiality, secure communications and data protection
The Law Officers’ Departments (LODs) – the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), Government Legal Department (GLD), and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) – approach their responsibilities for data, confidentiality and security with the utmost seriousness. This is reflected in their hybrid working policies, annual mandatory data protection and security training, as well as the employment of appropriate technology, equipment and organisational systems which support remote working.
Productivity and efficiency
The LODs are also committed to delivering the most productive and value for money services.
They all operate hybrid working policies which are in line with central guidance set by Cabinet Office.
Productivity is predominantly assessed through line management chains and the departmental performance management system to assess individual performance and ensure expectations are being met. In addition, GLD staff are required to record time they spend on activities, and GLD seeks direct feedback from the government departments to which they provide legal services.
Ultimately one of the most effective ways to drive continuous productivity across the LODs is to ensure they can recruit and retain the workforce needed to deliver vital services required by the Government. A balanced approach to hybrid working is a key part of achieving this.
Costs
The LODs provide their employees with appropriate equipment to support effective, efficient and secure remote working.
As to specific costs for the CPS, GLD, and SFO, I refer the Hon Member to my responses to UINs 65703, 65704, and 65705 tabled on 8 July 2025.
HMCPSI’s spend to support remote working for the financial year 2024/25 was £370.43, equating to £18.52 per head.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of remote working in the Law Officers’ Department on (a) confidentiality, (b) secure communications and (c) data protection.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Confidentiality, secure communications and data protection
The Law Officers’ Departments (LODs) – the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), Government Legal Department (GLD), and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) – approach their responsibilities for data, confidentiality and security with the utmost seriousness. This is reflected in their hybrid working policies, annual mandatory data protection and security training, as well as the employment of appropriate technology, equipment and organisational systems which support remote working.
Productivity and efficiency
The LODs are also committed to delivering the most productive and value for money services.
They all operate hybrid working policies which are in line with central guidance set by Cabinet Office.
Productivity is predominantly assessed through line management chains and the departmental performance management system to assess individual performance and ensure expectations are being met. In addition, GLD staff are required to record time they spend on activities, and GLD seeks direct feedback from the government departments to which they provide legal services.
Ultimately one of the most effective ways to drive continuous productivity across the LODs is to ensure they can recruit and retain the workforce needed to deliver vital services required by the Government. A balanced approach to hybrid working is a key part of achieving this.
Costs
The LODs provide their employees with appropriate equipment to support effective, efficient and secure remote working.
As to specific costs for the CPS, GLD, and SFO, I refer the Hon Member to my responses to UINs 65703, 65704, and 65705 tabled on 8 July 2025.
HMCPSI’s spend to support remote working for the financial year 2024/25 was £370.43, equating to £18.52 per head.