Special reports

He began by asking Sir Alasdair to respond to criticism of the prosecution in recent high profile court cases, including the Northern Bank robbery trial, the Omagh bomb case and the Robert McCartney murder trial.

When we asked the DPP about public concern that punishments are often too lenient, he explained why the task of imposing a sentence is not an easy undertaking, and told us that it is more of an art than a science.

Sir Alasdair was also asked about delays in the legal system and what action the Public Prosecution Service is taking to speed up the process.

Vincent then asked the DPP if there should be greater co-operation between the Public Prosecution Service and the police and whether the PSNI should be given more powers deal with minor offences.

Finally, Sir Alasdair was asked about the case against a man accused of involvement in the break-in at Castlereagh security base; a case which has now been active for seven years.