Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 1
1
The startling figures on the scale of the Post Office’s prosecutions, together with concerns raised...
Conclusion
The startling figures on the scale of the Post Office’s prosecutions, together with concerns raised by the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in relation to the RSPCA in 2016 and reports that the number of private prosecutions is rising, justify a proactive approach to examining the effectiveness of the regulation of this area of the criminal justice system. (Paragraph 15) The state of private prosecutions
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We share the Committee’s concern about the rise in the number of private prosecutions and the resulting cost to the public purse; the increase in itself justifies the Committee’s detailed examination of the effectiveness of the present arrangements. The prosecutions instituted by Post Office Ltd that were referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission to the Court of Appeal are a distinct issue on which, since the appeals are still pending, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment at this stage. In any event we agree with the Committee that Post Office Ltd is not representative of private prosecutors. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is likewise untypical: the 2014 review of the organisation observed that ‘the scale of its enforcement role and its relationship with the police and other bodies mean that it is de facto a prosecuting authority’. At the RSPCA’s own request, its role as prosecutor is now under discussion with the Attorney General’s Office.