FDA response to Boris Johnson's £85M CPS cash injection

12 Aug 2019 03:00 PM

Today it has been announced that the Government will provide the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with an £85 million cash injection, several days after the FDA passed on nearly 900 messages from the public calling for proper investment in the Criminal Justice System.

The FDA is the only trade union recognised to represent lawyers in the CPS, and have been calling for extra funding for the service as part of its Manifesto for Justice.

Responding to the funding news, FDA National Officer Steven Littlewood said:

“Clearly the Government has listened to our warnings that CPS cuts have gone too far. We welcome this investment, which represents the first significant increase in the service’s funding for ten years.

“The FDA has consistently highlighted that an explosion in digital evidence in recent years has taken its toll on the CPS. This sudden increase is named in our Manifesto for Justice as one of the major issues that needs addressing within the Criminal Justice System. It’s promising to see Downing Street acknowledge this problem, and to allocate specifically targeted funding to address it.

“However, though £85 million sounds like a great deal, it is not enough to undo all the damage that has been done by years of cuts.

“It does not cover the real-terms loss of department money over the last decade, and if Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to see a steep increase in prosecutions – to go with the increase of police officers – even more resources will be needed.

“This cash injection is a start. But it shouldn’t be treated as an end.”

Notes for editors 

1. The FDA is the union for senior managers and professionals in public service, representing more than 18,000 members at grades HEO and above. Membership includes senior civil servants, government policy advisors, prosecutors, diplomats, tax professionals, economists, solicitors and other professionals working across the Government and the NHS. 

2. The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants' union". 

3. The FDA can be found on Twitter @FDA_union and at www.fda.org.uk. General Secretary Dave Penman tweets as @FDAGenSec

4. For more information contact: 

Communications Officer Laura Gilbert
07984 990601     |     laura.gilbert@fda.org.uk

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