Clause 9 - Procedure
Criminal Justice and Police Bill
2:30 pm
Mr David Lock (Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department; Wyre Forest, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman raised an interesting point and I suspect that he is right and that it would be wise for people not to send cash through the post. Equally, it would be unwise to preclude—in the Bill or elsewhere—anyone who does not have a bank account, lives far away from the court to which the money should be sent or does not want to pay the additional cost of a postal order, from paying a fine by cash through the post. In practical terms, such an individual could get proof of posting so as to be confident about proving that the letter had been sent.
I take the hon. Gentleman's point and I shall consider it, but the words in question are a standard form that has been used in many Bills dealing with similar topics and, to date, has not given rise to any problems.