Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how much debt remains outstanding under confiscation orders obtained by the Crown Prosecution Service including interest; and what recent estimate he has made of how much of that debt is recoverable.

As of the 1 March 2017, the CPS is leading in the enforcement of 1062 confiscation orders and the outstanding debt, excluding interest is £553,938,410, which represents a fall of 7% over the course of the last 12 months. Of that debt, £145,935,292 (which represents 26% of the total amount) has been assessed as being recoverable. The amount of outstanding debt, including interest, is £682,535,112.

Domestic confiscation orders, once obtained, are enforced by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) assists in the enforcement process in situations where it can add value, such as by managing restraint orders, seeking the appointment of enforcement receivers and, in relation to assets held overseas, seeking assistance from other jurisdictions. When the CPS can no longer add value to the enforcement of a confiscation order, the responsibility for enforcement reverts to HMCTS and the CPS no longer monitors its progress.

The CPS only retains data on those orders in which it assists in the enforcement process. The latest data relates to March 2017.