Convictions

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of cases brought for prosecution by the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland resulted in convictions in each of the last three years. (147130)

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

*Defendants dealt with in the magistrates courts in Northern Ireland: percentage conviction* *rates 2004-05 to 2006-07 (number* *and percentage)*^1,2
	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Convicted (on at least one count)	7,322	10,600	16,482
Acquitted (all counts)	1,194	1,733	2,781
Total	8,516	12,333	19,263
Percentage conviction rate	86.0	85.9	85.6
¹ Figures refer to prosecutions conducted by the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions/Public Prosecution Service only. The increase in caseload over the period 2004-05 to 2006-07 may be attributed to the implementation of the Public Prosecution Service, commencing with a Pilot Project in South Belfast Police District (from 1 December 2003). ² It should be noted that the calculation of the percentage conviction rate has been amended to bring the service into line with the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales. The main change is focused on the category ‘acquitted’ which now includes defendants in respect of whom all charges were withdrawn prior to commencement of trial. The conviction rate figures quoted above therefore differ from those quoted previously in the 2005-06 PPS annual report.

*Defendants dealt with in the Crown court in Northern Ireland: percentage conviction rates 2004-05 to 2006-07 (numbe*r *and percentage)*
	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Convicted (on at least one count)	1,409	1,333	1,434
Acquitted (all counts)¹	221	207	215
Total	1,630	1,540	1,649
Percentage conviction rate	86.4	86.6	87.0
¹ Includes the following outcome categories: ‘Crown offered no evidence’, ‘Prosecution stayed’ and ‘Not to be proceeded with’.

Volume 462: debated on Tuesday 10 July 2007