Written question asked by Lord Watts (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 March 2003. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Monday, 24 March 2003 on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Lord Chancellors Dept

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will make a statement on her plans to link the courts' computer systems in order to improve past bail records information.

Answer: Mr. Watts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on her plans to link the courts' computer systems in order to improve past bail records information. [104109] Yvette Cooper: Links between the police and the Magistrates courts case management systems already exist in some areas. The implementation of NSPIS Case Preparation system (the police's new case management application), together with the implementation of a standard national software application in Magistrates' courts will extend these links across England and Wales over the next three years. We plan to join together the existing and developing IT systems in a staged development, using an `information walkway' known as the Criminal Justice Exchange to link individual systems. It will enable the courts and other criminal justice agencies to share case data--including information relating to bail-- electronically. This is part of a major IT and business change programme over the next three years for which £834 million of new money has been provided in the SR2002 settlement for the CJS as a whole.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 104109; 402 c92-3W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Disclosure of information Criminal records Courts Bail Computer networks ICT
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk