Oral Answers to Questions

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Tuesday 20th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Attorney-General]

Much depends on the outcome of the reform package that we might be able to implement. There are a number of things that need to be done. First, a very large number of those cases among the total of 165,000 are non-admissible. It is a question of processing them so that the individuals concerned can be told that their cases cannot be heard and the reasons for that. When it comes to the admissible caseload, the issue for the future—clearly, we have to clear the backlog—centres on subsidiarity and the extent to which the Court relies on national courts which are correctly implementing the convention to provide the solutions. This is one of the challenges, and in doing that we also have to recognise that for many countries the right of individual petition is very important.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

2. What discussions he has had with the director of the Serious Fraud Office on the potential benefits of introducing corporate deferred prosecution agreements.

[The Attorney-General (Mr Dominic Grieve)]

I have had a number of discussions with the director of the Serious Fraud Office about the potential benefits of introducing corporate deferred prosecution agreements. A great deal of very positive progress on this ongoing work has occurred in the past few months among the Law Officers Department and also the Ministry of Justice.

[Nic Dakin]

Will the Government’s proposals apply to individuals as well as to corporate bodies?

[The Attorney-General]

Deferred prosecution arrangements can apply only in the case of corporate bodies.