Clause 7 - Notification of court and date of trial
Criminal Justice and Police Bill
Public Bill Committees, 13 February 2001, 9:45 pm
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
That is very helpful, and I shall not say any more about amendments Nos. 100 and 99.
Amendment No. 101 would require the manner of giving a warning notice to be prescribed. As the notice is to be in lieu of a summons, should there not be similar provisions as to jurisdiction and service as apply to a summons? If not, can the Minister explain briefly why? I mentioned earlier the provisions in rule 99 of the magistrates courts rules about the way in which summonses are to be served. Before issuing a summons, magistrates are supposed to give careful consideration to the question of jurisdiction. The magistrates manual states:
``This applies ... in order to proceed to hear an information for a summary offence outside the commission area in which it is alleged to have been committed, it must appear to the justice ... necessary or expedient, with a view to the better administration of justice, for a person charged''
to be dealt with in that way. Has the Minister given any thought to that issue of jurisdiction?