Information for the years prior to 2016 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. I am able, however, to provide the annual costs for financial year 2016-2017 onwards. This data is set out in the table below:

The Public Defender Service (PDS) provides defence advice and representation in all types of criminal cases from the police station to the higher courts. It is part of the LAA and represents legally aided defendants. The casework undertaken by PDS offsets, to some extent, its costs by savings made against legal aid fund spend.

As a directly salaried service, the PDS does not bill for work in the same way as private practice, therefore it is not possible to provide a comparable estimate of cost per hour.

The Public Defender Service (PDS) plays a vital role in ensuring access to justice for those eligible clients who are unable to secure representation. The PDS also support positive change within the Criminal Justice System, assists the Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Agency colleagues and acts as a test-bed for digital working. As such, the value of the PDS is made up of many factors, not just representation of defendants. Therefore no direct assessment of cost effectiveness or level of use has been made.

In addition to their routine allocated police station work, PDS attended 21 additional police stations cases between 1 July 2015 - 13 July 2015.

As salaried staff, no additional salary cost will be paid.

This information is available on the Public Defender Service website: http://publicdefenderservice.org.uk/advocates/our-advocates/

The Public Defender Service (PDS) delivers services within the criminal defence market from advice and representation at the police station and magistrates courts through to advocacy in the higher courts.

Arrangements have been put in place, under which self-employed barristers have been instructed to represent defendants in a number of Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs). Given that normal working relationships have been restored, the Government has confirmed that there is no need to expand the PDS further.

In a joint statement with the Bar Council, the Criminal Bar Association and the Circuit Leaders, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that normal working relationships have been restored and there is no need to expand the PDS Advocacy Unit further.

As at 10 July 2014, the following barristers have commenced employment with the PDS:

Queens Counsel

David Aubrey QC

Gregory Bull QC

John Burton QC

Alun Jenkins QC

Andrew Lamb QC

Stephen Leslie QC

Michael Wood QC

Juniors

Lisa Hennessey

Robin Howat

Tom Mitchell

Gerald Mohabir

Emma Nott

Simon Perkins

Adam Roxborough

Martin L Sharpe

Peter Woodall

George Zachary

As employed barristers, no day rates are charged for work done.

Since January 2014 the PDS has employed the following number of Barristers (full-time equivalent):

£15,494.72 has been spent on advertising vacancies within the PDS in 2014. This includes vacancies for Accredited Police Station Representatives as well as for Queens Counsel and Higher Courts Advocates.

The information is as follows:

The rise in cost over the periods January to April is due to the recruitment of advocates in readiness for the PDS advocacy service, and the inclusion of accruals in March for costs relating to IT enhancements and facilities management.

The Public Defender Service (PDS) will continue to deliver a range of quality services within the criminal defence market from advice and representation at the police station and magistrates courts through to advocacy in the higher courts.

We are still concluding the recruitment campaign from 20 January 2014 and expect some further appointments to the PDS to be confirmed as a result of that.

In the current circumstances the Government will take the necessary steps to ensure availability of representation in Very High Cost Cases in which legally aided defendants are currently unrepresented. This could include increasing the capacity of the Public Defender Service. It remains open to the self-employed Bar to accept instructions on these cases, and we would welcome the maximum possible participation of the self-employed Bar in this regard.

Anyone appointed to the Public Defender Service will be employed as a civil servant, and recruited on the basis of the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles.

These principles determine that selection is made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition:

Merit means the appointment of the best available person: no one should be appointed to a job unless they are competent to do it, and the job must be offered to the person who would do it best.

Fair means there is no bias in the assessment of candidates. Selection processes must be objective, impartial and applied consistently.

Open means that job opportunities must be advertised publicly and potential candidates given reasonable access to information about the job and its requirements, and about the selection process.

The Commission recognises that in some circumstances it may be right to allow appointments to be made outside of the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Any such exception should not undermine this fundamental principle.

Such appointments by exception are usually short-term; for example secondments which promote the exchange of ideas and experience.

For a national recruitment exercise it is our practice to advertise in the English language. When recruiting for vacancies specifically for Wales, these will be advertised bilingually. Notices will be in Welsh in Welsh language publications, if required.

The public would expect us to take steps to ensure the Public Defender Service can provide high quality defence advocacy where it needs to and this is what we are doing.

The appointments are all full-time and permanent positions, which means that the advocates will work exclusively for the service, and as a result will take on a series of cases each year including very high cost cases and advocates graduated fee scheme work. The PDS will continue to deal with a small minority of overall case numbers.

Salaries paid are based on an individual’s skills and experience, are comparable to those paid by the CPS for salaried prosecutors, and to what a self-employed barrister would be able to earn under legal aid. We cannot currently give the estimated figures requested while the recruitment process is still ongoing as costs will be dependent upon the outcome.

Prior to 2014, the PDS did not employ Queen's Counsel. It is the LAA's priority to ensure that clients can access legal advice. In 2014 we have employed two Queen's Counsel, with another due to begin employment in late February.

The Public Defender Service was, of course, set up by the previous Labour Government, and it is always important to ensure that it is staffed properly.

Why is the Legal Aid Agency expanding the Public Defender Service and recruiting barristers when reports from as far back as 2007 have found that it is between 40% and 90% more expensive than the independent professions? Furthermore, it cannot act in cases of conflict.