Clause 3 - Bail elsewhere than at police station
Criminal Justice Bill
5:00 pm
Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield, Conservative)
Yes, I can. I believe that the word ''necessary'' is different in its nature and quality from the word ''essential'', and that the word ''necessary'' gives the police greater of flexibility than the word ''essential''.
It should be remembered that this is not an abstract concept, because many things will flow from it, including the admissibility of evidence about what emerges or what someone may say prior to being taken to the police station. It is not a question merely of how quickly an officer can take someone to the police station but of the protection of that person's rights under PACE.
I believe that the definition of the two words is slightly different, and as we are revisiting PACE, I will be interested to hear the Minister's response.