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Police: Northern Ireland

Volume 708: debated on Thursday 5 March 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 24 November 2008 (WA 249–50), how many prosecuting Police Service of Northern Ireland inspectors were replaced by the 220 extra Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service legally qualified staff recruited between 2005 and 2008; and what the estimated extra annual costs are. [HL919]

The figure of 220 refers to all additional PPS staff, both legally qualified and non-legally qualified, recruited over the period.

I am informed by the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) that the establishment figure for prosecuting inspectors was 22 inspectors and two chief inspectors. These were supported in the central process offices by a range of staff whose complement as set out during the criminal justice review was seven sergeants and 80 to 90 support staff.

Out of a current total of 572 staff in the PPS (and excluding the director and the deputy director), there are currently 171 legally qualified members of staff in the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) of whom 102 hold the grade of public prosecutor. It is this grade, currently B1 grade, of public prosecutor which is responsible, broadly stated, for carrying out the work previously carried out by the prosecuting police inspectors from the PSNI.

It is not, however, possible to make a direct comparison between the figures. The aim of the criminal justice review's recommendations on bringing all prosecutions under the aegis of an independent body, brought into effect in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002, was to ensure that decisions on cases at all levels of seriousness were made against consistently-applied criteria by legally-qualified staff. In addition to the responsibility for deciding on and progressing prosecutions, the Public Prosecution Service took on responsibility for tracking the progress of cases after charge or receipt of a report from the investigator, including requesting further information and investigations; and for providing advice to investigators at pre-charge stages of the process, for example on evidence needed and appropriate offences to be charged.

The criminal justice review also noted the increasing complexity of even less serious cases and the increasing significance of human rights issues, both of which have impacted on the resourcing of the PPS.