Clause 3 - Bail elsewhere than at police station
Criminal Justice Bill
6:30 pm
Mr Hilary Benn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Leeds Central, Labour)
On that last point, all hon. Members will have a long list of uses to which they would like to put additional police officers' time in their constituencies, so I do not think that that will be a problem in practice. That is why all members of the Committee have welcomed the provision.
My hon. and learned Friend the Member for Redcar (Vera Baird) made a point about property. Property can be seized under section 18, but as she will be aware, that would apply equally to someone who was subject to the provisions of street bail.
On the guidance, which clearly will be very important, I understand hon. Members' desire to see what it might look like, but one must ensure that it is written with regard to the process that Parliament goes through in deciding legislation, and not anticipate the final form. I was much taken by the point made by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield about the importance of getting the guidance right. I undertake to reflect on the nature of the guidance, but I do not want to submit to hon. Members' understandable wish to get something quickly to look at, and in so doing get the drafting wrong. If I did, people would tell me that I had not got it right, and we would end up in more difficulty. I would rather get the guidance right than draft it quickly.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 3, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.