Written question asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2009.

Police: Northern Ireland

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland in recent major cases where prosecutions have been discontinued or unsuccessful; and whether they have any proposals to reinforce those services prior to the devolution of policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Answer: It is good practice for all organisations regularly to review their effectiveness, including after major cases. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) regularly reviews investigations for lessons learned. A report into a follow-up inspection of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) was published in June 2009. The inspection was carried out by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate under delegated statutory authority from the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice for Northern Ireland. This concluded that core prosecutorial decision-making in the PPS remains sound. There are no plans to reinforce either the PSNI or the PPS prior to devolution.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 5056; 712 c360WA
Session: 2008-09
Subjects: Administration of justice Devolution Northern Ireland Police Prosecutions Police Service of Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk