Clause 5 - General restriction on proceedings
Criminal Justice and Police Bill
6:30 pm
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
The point of concern is that an officer must have reason to believe that an offence has been committed to issue a fixed penalty notice. Let us imagine that he does so, and the person elects for trial. Is the Minister saying that the whole thing goes back to square one at that point and that the CPS becomes involved and takes a decision on the usual prosecution basis of whether there is a beyond 50 per cent. chance of success and so on?