Written question asked by Gareth Bacon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 January 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 January 2020. It was answered by Geoffrey Cox (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 January 2020 on behalf of the Attorney General.

Criminal Proceedings: Evidence

Question: To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of how (a) material evidence brought forward by the prosecution and (b) unused material that fails to be disclosed to the defence is processed by the (i) police and (ii) Crown Prosecution Service.

Answer: There has been unprecedented joint commitment and focus from the police and the CPS to finding solutions to the problem of getting the provision of material evidence and disclosure right. Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Inspectorate (HMCPSI) recently published a report on disclosure in the Crown Court, which shows that CPS and the police have made improvements in almost all areas. However, as the report notes, these improvements are from a low baseline and it is therefore crucial that lasting improvements continue to be made. I am working to update my Guidelines on Disclosure in order to provide clear guidance to all practitioners, and embed the recommendations I made in my 2018 Review.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1453
Session: 2019-21
Transferred: Yes
Subjects: Disclosure of information Criminal proceedings Crown Prosecution Service Evidence
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk