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CPS Direct

Volume 481: debated on Tuesday 28 October 2008

To ask the Solicitor-General what the target response time is for answering calls to CPS Direct; what the average response time was for calls in each of the last five years; and how many calls were made in each year. (230585)

CPS Direct has collated data on response times to the police since September 2004. From April 2005, a target was set to answer 90 per cent. of calls within 15 seconds. The number of calls answered, charging advices given and response times since that date have been as follows:

Total calls received

Total charging advices

Successful call rate (percentage)

Percentage calls answered in under 15 seconds (target 90 per cent.)

Average response time for all calls answered (seconds)

2004-051

74,088

38,076

51.4

47.37

2005-06

157,511

96,108

61.0

85.7

35.11

2006-07

183,034

127,911

69.9

82.3

32.18

2007-08

171,426

135,813

79.2

93.2

22.42

2008-092, 3

88,568

73,066

82.5

87.4

24.32

1 Seven months from September 2004.

2 Six months to September 2008

3 The projected full year totals for 2008-09 are:

Total calls received: 177-178,000;

Total charging advices: 146-147,000

To ask the Solicitor-General what the annual running costs of CPS Direct are; how many staff CPS Direct employs, including duty prosecutors; and what the annual expenditure on staff was in each of the last five years. (230586)

The annual budget for CPS Direct for the last five years is shown in the following table.

Total budget (£)

2004-05

5,206,820

2005-06

9,236,400

2006-07

11,842,400

2007-08

12,787,356

2008-09

13,545,072

As at 24 October 2008, CPS Direct employs 123.5 duty prosecutors, 12 legal managers, four senior managers and 11 central support staff.

The annual expenditure on the staff of CPS Direct over the last five years is shown in the following table.

£

Duty prosecutors

Central support team

Total

2004-05

4,515,597

140,587

4,656,184

2005-06

8,560,402

250,708

8,811,110

2006-07

10,885,243

318,434

11,203,677

2007-08

12,015,065

330,753

12,345,818

2008-091

12,725,673

367,351

13,093,024

1 Budget.

To ask the Solicitor-General in how many Crown Prosecution Service areas Crown Prosecution Direct is fully operational. (230587)