POOR PERFORMANCE//NO PROBLEM WE WON`T COLLECT THE STATISTICS

Below is a recent exchange from Hansard.  Note the reply from the Solicitor-General.  It appears that it is easier and expedient not to collect statistics when these statistics prove embarrassing.  Recently parliament was told there are hopes to institute additional legislation for offences of "domestic violence". According to a recent Freedom of Information Request such statistics from the magistrates` courts are not collected...[this blog 19/03/2015] so it is rather awkward for those in power to start fiddling the law when they admit to having no figures to support their case.........or so they say.

Philip Davies Conservative, Shipley

To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the number of cases which were not able to proceed to their conclusion in (a) Magistrates' and (b) Crown courts as a result of identifiable errors by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years.

• Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 29 June 2015, cW)

Robert Buckland The Solicitor-General

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of cases which were not able to proceed as a result of identifiable errors by the CPS. Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

And so the pattern of obfuscation is being repeated.   The above parliamentary answer is I suppose strictly accurate but as ever it comprises the truth and nothing but the truth.  The whole truth is that such numbers used to be collected...[this blog 29/11/2013]  but since current performance of CPS was recognised some time ago as being abysmal the answer from Whitehall Weasels appears to be to cease collecting these incriminating numbers.