If he will make a statement on his plans to equip the Crown Prosecution Service with new computer systems. The project was successful in gaining accreditation to the Government secure intranet, which will enable the CPS to join up electronically with its criminal justice system partners and the wider government community. Implementation in the first 13 areas has taken place and more than 1,500 staff have been trained in new IT techniques. I am pleased that the CPS will soon be online in my area of south-east London.
Friend raises an important point.
I know that he has taken a great interest in the matter and has visited the CPS on various occasions. He wrote a detailed report for me as a result of those visits. The project was designed not to go wrong. We have started giving Crown prosecutors basic IT skills and they have access to databases, file information and so on. After this year, the next step will be to make sure that there is a link-up with other criminal justice system agencies, such as the police and the courts.