Crown Prosecution Service Autumn Performance Report 2008

Efficiency Delivery Programme

As a part of the CSR 2007 settlement the CPS agreed to make £69 million value for money savings by 2010/11, to be delivered as follows:

CSR 2007 efficiency delivery programme summary

2008/09:

• Total savings £28 million
• The CPS plans to deliver these as:
  • Operational savings £20 million
  • Administrative and operational support savings £8 million

2009/10:

• Total savings £49 million
• The CPS plans to deliver these as:
  • Operational savings £34 million
  • Administrative and operational support savings £15 million

2010/11:

• Total savings £69 million
• The CPS plans to deliver these as:
  • Operational savings £47 million
  • Administrative and operational support savings £22 million

At the end of the second quarter 2008/09 the CPS has achieved savings of £13.5 million, against a target of £28 million for the full year.  This includes £4.2 million from IT-enabled efficiencies (COMPASS Case Management System); £6.6 million from the advocacy programme; £1 million from reduced administrative costs at CPS HQ; and £0.6 million from lease negotiations.

Delivering improved efficiency and value for money savings are now an integral part of the CPS business. The department remains committed to ensuring that the quality of service delivery to the public is maintained whilst achieving greater efficiencies. The systems by which actual savings against the delivery programme targets are measured are subject to audit.

Actions taking place to deliver efficiencies

Operational:

• IT-enabled efficiencies
  • New streams within the COMPASS Management Information System will enable more efficiencies to be realised in CPS Areas. These benefits are part of a programme of benefits across the CJS.
• Efficiencies in magistrates' courts
  • The implementation of the Optimum Business Model (OBM) is leading to a number of process improvements in CPS Areas, including fewer adjournments, better quality of file endorsement and reduced volumes of correspondence. Further benefits are expected to arise from the rollout of OBM to the Crown Court.
• Advocacy
  • Increased deployment of Associate Prosecutors (APs) in magistrates' courts and Crown Advocates (CAs) in the Crown Court.  The numbers of these staff continue to increase and are generating savings beyond those reported in SR 2004.

Administration and operational support:

• Corporate Services
  • Implementation of the HQ Review, aiming to create a smaller, more strategic HQ function in line with the revised business model for the CPS as a whole.
• Procurement
  • Tighter contract management; analysis of and cost reduction measures for the major categories of expenditure, facilitated by the introduction of a new Purchase to Pay system.
• Accommodation
  • CPS is continuing to improve efficiency by estate rationalisation when opportunities arise. The Service is also working closely with its property service providers to identify expenditure areas where it might make financial savings or review how services are delivered.
    

Plans for delivering efficiencies over the next six months

• Advocacy
  • APs deployed more flexibly on a wider range of magistrates' courts work.
  • An Advocacy Quality Management Strategy is being developed, including advocacy assessment, targeted training and possible development of a range of models for the effective deployment of CAs. An Advocacy Assessor Pathfinder is currently under way in eight CPS Areas.
• OBM
  • Rollout to magistrates' courts completed, including sign-off procedures, and ongoing support and continuous improvement process established.
  • Testing in Crown Court pilot sites in preparation for national rollout.
• Corporate Services
  • Implementation plan for HQ Review finalised.
• Procurement
  • Completion of rollout of Purchase to Pay to all CPS Areas and directorates.
    

SR 2004 Efficiency Plan

As a part of the SR 2004 settlement the CPS agreed to make £34 million value for money savings by 2007/08. The CPS exceeded this target. Additional savings were achieved through the cross-criminal justice IT programme, and 43 posts were relocated out of London and the South East. The final figures for savings in the three years covered by SR 2004 are as follows: